Naruto: Aftershock
by Thayerblue1
Summary: A Naruto/Neon Genesis Evangelion Crossover. Takes place in the Evangelion Universe. Featuring Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Ikari Shinji, Ayanami Rei, Soryu Asuka Langley and the NGE cast. Pairings undecided.
1. Chapter 1

_**Naruto: Aftershock **_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Neon Genesis Evangelion

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I've wanted to do a Naruto/Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover for years but could never figure out how to do it to my liking. I shelved the idea as a result. Then recently I bought the manga and it rekindled my interest in the idea. Hopefully the story will turn out to be a good one.

It is assumed the reader is already familiar with Neon Genesis Evagelion. Otherwise it's going to be very difficult to follow. This story is based on both the Evangelion anime series and the manga series. In particular, Shinji's character will be like the manga in that he will be apathic as opposed to somewhat spineless. There will be pairings but at this point they are undecided. I will be adding a sprinkling of technology from the Rebuild movies (like new EVAs) but none of the plot. There also may be a bit of the Shinji Ikari Raising Project manga for the additional characters and humor at the school.

On the Naruto side of things Konoha and Naruto's background are quite different and it will be revealed in the story. Naruto can use chakra and jutsus but he doesn't have Kurama sealed in him. He's also a bit more mature due to circumstance. Let's see how this goes. Here is chapter 1 of _**Naruto: Aftershock**_. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language

[ ] Signifies hand signals

**Chapter 1**

**Tokyo-3, Japan, 2015 A.D. **

Uzumaki Naruto was reading his orders as he rode the train into Tokyo-3:

_…._

_Orders for Chunin Uzumaki Naruto:_

_The Third Angel code named Sachiel was the first Angel seen since the Second Impact fifteen years ago. According to our contacts; Sachiel attacked Tokyo-3 two days ago with the apparent intent of destroying the city and more importantly NERV Headquarters. It was unstopped after battling UN Forces, Evangelion 01 piloted by the 'First Child' Ayanami Rei and an N2 mine attack by the UN. Shortly thereafter the Angel was destroyed via self destruct while in combat with Evangelion 01 piloted by the 'Third Child', Ikari Shinji . (__For details of the actual battle see the attached report__). Your current duty is to infiltrate the NERV Organization as the 'Seventh Child' as chosen by the Marduk Institute. (__Information also attached__). Your partner in this mission will be your fellow apprentice to the Sanin Haruno Sakura who has also returned from her training trip. She will be the 'Sixth Child.' Your contact will be your cousin*① Kaji Ryoji who is going to be taking you in as his ward. He currently is a NERV Special Inspector._

_Presently Kaji is in Germany watching over the 'Second Child' Soryu Asuka Langley so you will be 'on your own' the first few weeks after your arrival. Use this time to set up your own network as Kaji Ryoji has his own agenda (as you are well aware). Be alert that there are multiple forces at work besides NERV. The Japanese Department of the Interior and the shadow organization SEELE are also involved. Use your training under your Master Jiraiya and your last year abroad wisely in order to learn as much as you can about them and await further orders. Konoha is counting on you Uzumaki Naruto. This is an S-ranked mission._

_-The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen_

_…._

"Gods Jiji; you _always_ give me the simple missions." Naruto shook his head. "So I'll be seeing my cousin Kaji again for better or for worse." the blonde thought aloud. '_He claimed he couldn't become a ninja and left Konoha….So what does the idiot do? He becomes a spy!_' "….On the positive side I'll be seeing my friend Ikari Shinji again. I wonder if he still has such a dreadful outlook on life…." Naruto burned his orders to ash with a fire jutsu. '_I wonder how Sakura is doing. I haven't seen her in years. I guess we're both fourteen now and chunins_.' He closed his eyes and thought about his life so far….

….The blonde just turned fourteen and like so many of his generation in Konoha he was an orphan. The Second Impact destroyed the original Konoha Village forcing them to retreat into the mountains as a tiny, secluded village in the mountains of Japan. They were among the few villages left that practiced the ancient ways of ninjutsu using chakra. It was a fact every living thing had chakra but being an Uzumaki; Naruto had an ocean of it. He was raised by his Godfather Jiraiya who taught him the shinobi arts as soon as he was old enough walk and talk. Naruto was taught the strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage practiced by the ninja since ancient times. He learned the Gama style of taijutsu, fuinjutsu (sealing), shurikenjutsu (shuriken arts), kenjutsu (swordsmanship) and kyujutsu (archery) among others. The blonde's ninjutsu repertoire was impressive and well rounded but his true strengths lay in wind jutsus and chakra manipulation.

Jiraiya reckoned Naruto was a solid jonin level shinobi a year ago in skill except for his lack of experience. Therefore the young ninja was sent to wander for a year to learn about the world the hard way. _It was just like young hawks were kicked out of the nest by their parents to make the young birds tough._ You learned to survive or the weight of the world would crush you. Naruto ended up travelling to Musashino*② in the old Tokyo District (that was rebuilt to some extent) where he enrolled in school as a homeless orphan. There he met a depressed and seemingly apathic boy named Ikari Shinji. Naruto could tell there was something special about the dark haired Ikari boy and befriended him. Naruto attended school and observed the behaviors of others his own age so he could seamlessly blend in to society. When the year ended Naruto returned to undergo the grueling trials to become a chunin and passed with flying colors….

….And the rest, as they say, is history. The Uzumaki chunin went on many missions for Konoha ranking from C to A as well as a single S-ranked assassination he pulled off flawlessly. As a result the Third Hokage chose him to infiltrate Tokyo-3 as the 'Seventh Child' -someone chosen to pilot the giant Evangelions and serve in '_the admirable job of defending humanity_.' Naruto wanted to laugh. NERV's purpose and that of SEELE were clearly **_not_** to serve humanity. Whatever their true purpose was; Naruto figured would become apparent to both him and Sakura in due time….

….

Naruto got off the train at Track 2 of the Tokyo-3 Train Station and saw the damage from the battle against Sachiel. Then he saw armed guards in sunglasses watching him. It was subtle by civilian standards but to a trained ninja he could have spotted them several kilometers away. '_NERV Public Security Forces and Intelligence Bureau_….' thought the ninja. A very pretty woman with bleach blonde hair and a white lab coat was with them.

She walked up to Naruto slowly and asked, "Uzumaki Naruto?" The whiskered blonde nodded and the woman smiled. "I'm Doctor Akagi Ritsuko from NERV. I'm here to pick you up in Inspector Kaji Ryoji's stead. He unfortunately is out of town." '_Kaji you lazy bum. You owe me one. You weren't even here to pick up your own cousin. I haven't got time for this_.'

The blonde ninja grinned and said, "It's nice to meet you Doctor Akagi. I'm sorry you had to do this for my cousin. Last I heard he was in Germany."

Ritsuko nodded to the two security agents and they promptly left. She said, "You don't bear a strong resemblance to Kaji physically but you have the same air about you. I can tell you are cousins. I've known him for years and I don't remember him ever mentioning family before."

Naruto explained, "Kaji left before I was born; I've met him but I guess you'd call us estranged. It's of little importance."

She raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering why he suddenly had a ward. Did he invite you here to live with him? The circumstances seem rather unusual."

The ninja chuckled and said, "He invited me here due to a report from the _Marduk Institute_ whatever that means."

Doctor Akagi's eyes widened and Naruto gave her a flirty smile that looked _just like_ _Kaji_. Then she noticed that Naruto had his spiky blonde hair pulled back into a tail _just like Kaji_. Ritsuko thought to herself, '_The Marduk Institute?! But that would mean he is a candidate for piloting the Evangelions!_' She coughed and asked, "Did Kaji explain what the Marduk Institute is?"

The whisker faced blonde shrugged and answered, "I don't have a clue. Kaji said it was very important though." '_The Marduk Institute doesn't even really exist; it is a dummy organization composed of 108 front companies and Eva pilots are actually hand-picked by NERV.' _

Ritsuko sighed in relief and said, "Well, it's of little importance. Let's get your luggage and get you to your new home." '_It seems he's ignorant of what we do here. Good_.' The car ride to Kaji's apartment turned out to be a quiet one. Ritsuko did ask about Naruto's unique whisker marks and he explained that they were birthmarks. She accepted this answer and figured she'd have a chance to look into them later.

The blonde ninja appeared to be playing a game on his phone but he was looking up intelligence data on Ritsuko. '_Let's see what I have on the good doctor here_.' he thought as he tapped some buttons.

_….Chief of __Project E__, Doctor Akagi Ritsuko of the Bureau of Technology's First Division. She is NERV's chief scientist and is in command of the Technical branch of NERV HQ which is responsible for the research and development of the Evangelions as well as their maintenance and repair. Akagi is a polymath genius whose disciplines include physics, biotechnology and computer science_….

Naruto mentally frowned. '_That doesn't help me much other than the woman is a genius and her position in NERV. I guess it's better than nothing_….'

….

**Kaji Ryoji's Condo**

Naruto had a key to his cousin Kaji's condo and once Ritsuko was sure the blonde ninja could get in and out okay she returned to work after giving Naruto her phone number just in case there was an emergency. Naruto thanked her and the bleach blonde scientist was soon on her way. The ninja looked around the darkened condo and turned on the lights. "This place is fairly neat and tidy." he thought aloud as his eyes scanned the place over. Checking the various rooms he saw a note on the kitchen table with his name on it.

….

_Naruto-_

_Sorry I couldn't be here to welcome you in person. The condo has three bedrooms. The main bedroom is mine but the other two are open so pick the one you want. I should be back from Germany in a few weeks. I've already enrolled you in school and you've been assigned to Tokyo-3 Middle School Class 2-A. (The paperwork for your transfer is on the table). I hope that the transition is an easy one for you. The whole situation of you moving in was a bit of a surprise to me but I'm sure we'll get along fine after you settle in. The utilities and other bills are taken care of and you have your own bank account through NERV. I asked Doctor Akagi Ritsuko to watch over you until I get back but as busy as she is I doubt you'll see much of her. I'll see you in a few weeks._

_-Kaji Ryoji_

….

"Well, this is interesting." pondered Naruto aloud. '_I guess I should check for security cameras and whatnot. The last thing I can afford to have is someone watching me_.' The blonde ninja searched the apartment thoroughly and found there were no hidden cameras or listening devices. Then he painted silencing seals on the room he picked to be his. "Now that I have that done I'd best start scoping this town out. It's Friday and I have to report to school on Monday…."

….

**Tokyo-3 Middle School, Class 2-A**

A week later Naruto had concluded that Class 2-A was nothing short of a NERV set up. _All _potential Eva pilots were transferred to Class 2-A to keep them safe and on hand should NERV require them. That aside the class was an incredibly mind numbing and listening to the old instructor drone on about the Second Impact was downright painful. The blonde ninja was fighting to stay awake and everyone else was too. '_By the gods; this history teacher is so boring I'm falling into a coma. Watching paint dry or grass grow is more exciting_.' He caught a glance from Aida Kensuke whom he had gotten to know a bit in the last week. Kensuke wore glasses and was a bit of a military geek and Evangelion otaku. Naruto also interacted with Horaki Hikari who was the class representative. Hikari was a cute and considerate girl but could be very stern….

….After lunch Naruto was pleased to see they had a new transfer student. It was someone the blonde knew well. A pink haired, green eyed girl was at the front of the class and introduced herself. "Hello everybody; I'm Haruno Sakura and I just moved here to Tokyo-3. I hope we can all get along." she spotted Naruto and made eye contact briefly.

Several of the students were interested in Sakura and thought she was cute with her shoulder length pink hair. Naruto looked the kunoichi over and realized she'd grown more womanly in the last four years. '_Of course the last time we saw each other we were ten years old. She cut her long hair off too_.'

"Sit anywhere you like Miss Haruno." said the homeroom teacher.

Sakura looked around and saw that there was an empty seat in back by Naruto. She asked kindly, "Is this seat taken?" Naruto indicated it wasn't and the kunoichi sat down beside him. The two acted like they were newly introduced but they were rapidly conversing with each other though ANBU hand signs. ["I'm living in my own apartment; it would be good if you could stop in and set up some silencing seals for me."] signed Sakura.

Naruto replied, ["It shouldn't be a problem. My cousin Kaji is in Germany so I'm free to do as I please."]

["I didn't know you had a cousin Naruto."] signed the rosette.

["It's a long story but he left Konoha before we were born. He's not a ninja."] explained the blonde.

Sakura signed, {"We'll talk later. Looks like class is about to start."]

….

**NERV Headquarters**

Doctor Akagi Ritsuko was talking with NERV Commander Ikari Gendo and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki Kozo about some unexpected news. She was a bit panicky. "Did SEELE _force_ these children upon us? And why the 'Sixth' and 'Seventh' children? We're always involved in the selection process! What about the 'Fourth' and 'Fifth' children? We haven't even _picked_ them yet. This is highly irregular!"

Gendo sighed. "SEELE is the _only_ logical answer to this strange situation. Given Rei is injured and the 'Third Child' is unstable we may actually _need_ the 'Sixth' and 'Seventh' children as backups. Bring them in and test them. We have nothing to lose." He looked at the dossiers compiled on Naruto and Sakura and frowned. '_They are completely clean according to our intelligence division. Uzumaki is an orphan from Musashino and Haruno grew up in the countryside although she shows an incredibly keen intellect….just how much harm could two teenagers do?_'

_….__**How much indeed**__…._

Fuyutsuki asked Ritsuko, "What do you think Doctor Akagi? You've at least met this Uzumaki Naruto. Was there something about him that makes you apprehensive?"

Risuko sweat dropped. "He seemed like an ordinary teenage boy that knew absolutely nothing about NERV…." '_But he's Kaji's cousin so that alone makes him suspicious to me!_'

"Test them and see if they are compatible with the EVAs." ordered Commander Ikari. "I'm very curious if these two are even _capable_ of linking with an EVA."

….

**Tokyo-3 Middle School**

That afternoon Naruto and Sakura were leaving class with the other kids when Ritsuko pulled up in her car and waved the blonde ninja down. The NERV Chief Scientist smiled and called, "Naruto; who is your friend?" The whiskered ninja looked around acting oblivious before Ritsuko pointed towards Sakura.

Sakura pointed to herself and asked, "Me Ma'am?" The bleach blonde scientist nodded and the rosette said, "I'm Haruno Sakura and I just transferred in. I just met Uzumaki-san today."

Ritsuko smiled and said, "I need to talk to you both for a few minutes…." '_Better me than NERV Intelligence hauling you in against you will_….'

….

The two kids carefully listened from the back seat as Ritsuko drove along and gave them a job offer to pilot the EVAs. Both shinobis did their best to look surprised and dumbfounded. "You want us to get inside those giant robots we've heard about?" asked Sakura. "That doesn't sound too safe. I mean; going into battle with these _Angels_?"

Naruto acted a bit more enthused, "Well, I know some martial arts so maybe I could fight. Is there a reason we were picked in particular Doctor Akagi?"

"Both of you just call me Ritsuko when we're not on duty." said the bleach blonde in a disarming way. Then the scientist explained, "Only children born since the Second Impact are capable of piloting Evangelions for some reason. If you join NERV you'll be paid handsomely. Right now we just want you to get in an Evangelion and see if you can synchronize with it. If it doesn't work then no harm done right?"

["I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon."] signed Sakura. ["We haven't had much time to acclimate to our circumstances."]

Naruto nodded. ["Things are happening too fast. We're just going to have to adapt. I have a bad feeling about this."] The blonde ninja said to Ritsuko, "I guess if all I have to do is sit in it then I'm game."

"I guess I will too then." said Sakura in a nervous tone.

"Good. That's all we can ask of you." said Ritsuko. '_That was simple enough. I was afraid things would be difficult. Their reactions seem like normal kids….maybe I'm just too suspicious_.'

….

**NERV Headquarters, EVA Test Bay #1**

"So this is an Evangelion…?" asked Naruto in genuine awe looking at the gargantuan form of Unit 01. He reached out with his sensory abilities and his blue eyes widened. '_This isn't a machine….It has chakra! IT'S A LIVING BEING!_'

Sakura was equally shocked at EVA 01. "It's….It's colossal!" she whispered. That's when she saw Naruto give her some ANBU hand signals.

["It's not a robot. It has a chakra. The EVAs are living things!"] signed the blonde ninja.

Her green eyes widened in wonder and fear. '_If it's alive….does it have a soul?_' she wondered. "Ummm….Ritsuko?"

"Yes Sakura?" asked Doctor Akagi. She was pleased at the children's awestruck reactions.

"Why were the Evangelions constructed in a human form?" asked the rosette. "For the sake of balance alone wouldn't it have been simpler to make a four legged form?"

Ritsuko was surprised and pleased at the insightful question. "They are made to mimic the human form so they can interface directly with their human pilots. You feel what it feels when you are linked; see?"

"Then they must be alive as well." said Sakura. "I wonder if there is a consciousness floating around in there somewhere."

'_What a bright girl!_' thought Doctor Akagi. '_But she's a little too close to the truth_….' "No one truly knows Sakura; but it is true that there are a few living components. It's nothing to be concerned about."

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed. _'__**Liar!**__ I'm sensing a fully developed chakra system just like a human being's….It's just on a massive scale!_' He looked at EVA 01 and thought, '_Who __**are**__ you?!_'

…._If there was an answer the EVA remained silent_….

….

**Pilot's Locker Room**

Sakura looked at the ridiculously thin white Plugsuit and wondered if it was thicker than a millimeter when she activated it and it conformed to her body. It was a spare suit of Ayanami Rei's. The rosette looked in the mirror and thought, '_I guess it's better than being __**completely naked**__….I've been in bikinis that don't expose as much though_.' She sweat dropped. '_On the positive side it is opaque and I can't see the color of my veins_.' The green eyed girl blushed slightly and wondered, '_I wonder what Naruto will look like in his_.' Then the kunoichi clipped her white interface headsets into her pink hair and was glad she wasn't going to be seen in public this way….

In the next stall over, Naruto was wearing a suit that was designed for Shinji. It had a white top with the mid torso down being blue. "Well, this thing has zero coverage." he grumbled to himself. Activating the slim suit so it stuck to him like a second skin; Naruto noticed it was easy to move in but aside of that it left _nothing_ to the imagination. '_I wonder what Sakura thinks of her suit. I guess I'll be able to tell how well she's grown up_….' he thought perversely. Then he hung his head. '_Of course, I'm on display as well_.' Clipping on his interface headsets he whispered, "Here goes nothing!" as he stepped out into the main area.

The two teen shinobis stepped out at the same time and got an eyeful of each other. Blushing profusely they filed out to where Doctor Akagi Ritsuko was waiting along with Captain Katsuragi Misato.

….

Katsuragi Misato was a lithe, shapely woman with dark eyes and purple hair. She was good friends with Doctor Akagi and she commanded NERV HQ's Tactical Operations branch which was responsible for coordinating the Evangelions in actual combat. Misato was normally a lively person but was very concerned for Rei and Shinji who were both still in the hospital at the time. The purple haired woman smiled at the two shinobi and said, "So you've been chosen to be our backup pilots? I'm Captain Katsuragi Misato of NERV. I'll be your Tactical Commander in combat situations and your direct superior. I hope we all get along."

The kunoichi smiled weakly and thought, '_What a way to meet a person dressed like this_….' "I'm Haruno Sakura; it's nice to meet you."

'_She's quite a woman!_' thought Naruto. Then he caught her scent and wondered, '_Why does she smell like beer?_' The ninja said, "I hope we get along too. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Then Naruto smiled in a familiar way.

Misato raised an eyebrow and thought, '_Why does this Naruto remind me of somebody?_' The Captain sighed softly and explained, "Our crew hasn't recovered from the last battle so we are a little undermanned at the moment. Since you are both suited up we're going to test each of you in Unit 01. I don't expect your compatibility to be very high since you are new but don't worry. Our first qualified pilot Ayanami Rei took nearly seven months before she was combat ready."

"Seven months seems like a long time to me." said Naruto in dismay.

Misato laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine. It's a lot more difficult than just learning to drive a car."

Both teens sweat dropped since they weren't old enough to drive….

….

**Entry Plug to Unit 01**

After discussing it with Sakura in ANBU code; Naruto went first. They agreed that the fact he was a sensor might be to their advantage. The whiskered blonde sat down in the entry plug and waited as the three bridge Lieutenants rattled off the process over the radio:

Naruto felt like he was in an elevator when he heard Shigeru Aoba's voice: "_Inserting entry plug"._

_"Direct hydro-transmission system, connection prepared." _said Ibuki Maya

The plug stopped and jolted the blonde ninja. Aoba continued,_ "Plug fixed in place."_

Hyuga Makoto reported, "_First stage connection initiated."_

Maya said, "_Filling the entry plug."_

As the plug started filling with the amber colored LCL*③; Naruto's heart rate skyrocketed at the sensation of drowning. Ritsuko tried to calm him down. "_Don't be alarmed Naruto! It's just like I explained. Once your lungs are saturated with the LCL; you'll be able to undergo direct oxygen exchange. You'll get used to it in a minute_."

The ninja growled, "This is completely unnatural!" as he calmed down. "Breathing liquid that tastes like blood is just **wrong! **Breathing a liquid _at all_ is just wrong!"

Misato asked, "_Are you okay in there Naruto?_" Seeing him nod the purple haired woman said, "_All right, let's continue_."

Aoba resumed after getting a nod from Misato. "_Connecting the main power. All circuits are fully functional. Now initiating the power up sequence."_

"_Set the thought configuration to Japanese." _said Doctor Akagi_. "All preliminary contacts established." _

Maya reported, "_Commencing secondary contacts. A-10 nerve connection, normal. Bi-directional circuits are open. Synchronization rate at 11.4%"_

"_Not too bad_…." said Ritsuko. "_Try focusing a little harder Naruto. Think what you want to do_."

"Give me a minute to find my center." said Naruto. The blonde reached out to the EVA with both his thoughts and his chakra. '_Hello there. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Can you speak to me?_'

The Eva remained silent but a thought flashed into Naruto's mind. It was an image of Ikari Shinji both as a child and then as a teenager. A strong urge to keep Shinji safe was there.

'_You want to protect Shinji?_' thought the blonde. '_I went to school with him for a year and we are friends. I'll keep an eye out for him. I hope you and I can be friends too_.'

As the ninja conversed with the silent EVA he felt it was warming up to him a bit and his synchronization rate started climbing steadily.

_"His synchronization rate has climbed to 31.6%!" _said Maya excitedly_. "It has leveled of and is holding steady."_

"_Good job Naruto. That's exceptional for a first try!_" exclaimed Misato over the radio._ 'Not on Shinji's level but still….' _she thought.

Naruto was soon out of the cockpit and said, "She seems nice enough but a bit apprehensive."

"She?" asked Ritsuko and Misato as one.

"Yes, EVA 01 is definitely a she." replied the blonde ninja. He smiled like his cousin and said, "I can tell a woman from a kilometer away."

Misato giggled at his antics and Ritsuko sweat dropped. '_He even __**acts**__ just like Kaji_.' thought the bleach blonde scientist. Sakura just rolled her eyes….

….

"You kids both exceeded my expectations by a wide margin!" said Misato enthused. "Naruto ended up with a 31.6% synch rate and Sakura was slightly lower at 29.2%. For first tries that is superb and either of you should be able to operate an EVA effectively. Now all we need to do is begin your training as pilots. This weekend our other pilots are getting out of the hospital so you'll receive your first orders Monday. Well get you your own plugsuits ready as well."

….

**NERV Hospital**

Later that day; Ikari Shinji was in hell. He'd been in the hospital recovering for over a week and had been plagued with some truly horrific nightmares all centered around the EVA. His Father Ikari Gendo never even bothered to acknowledge Shinji's existence although Captain Katuragi had checked up on him a number of times. Now he was out…. '_Out of the frying pan and into the fire_.' he thought acidly as he rode along with Misato in her Renault Alpine to **their** new condo. '_So what if I wanted to live alone?_'

….

_Flashback…._

_Shinji was ready to leave the hospital and Misato was wondering why he didn't want to live with his __**Father**__…. "It's none of your business Misato!" growled Shinji._

_Misato looked shocked. "Hey, what's with that tone of voice? I'm just worried about you; that's all…."_

_The boy roared, "Don't you have __**enough**__ to worry about?!"_

_Then the purple haired woman frowned and a vein bulged on her forehead. "So __**gloomy**__….like some kind of __**mood disorder!**__" she said. "__**I'll**__ fix that personality of yours!" Misato then proceeded to make arrangements for Shinji to live with her at her condo much to his disbelief._

_Shinji was too shocked to react until it was too late. When he regained his wits the teenager screeched, "Are you kidding me? Why do I have to live with __**you?!**__ It's __**crazy!**__ Who are __**you**__ to tell me what to do, huh?!"_

_"Oh, you mean __**me?**__ Who am __**I?**__" growled Misato. She froze poor Shinji in place with a terrifying glare. "What part of '__**Commanding Officer**__' don't you understand?"_

_'H-her eyes -paralyzing me…!' the boy mentally whimpered as she dragged him off by the wrist…._

_Flashback end_….

….

Ikari Shinji's life with Misato began with a shock. The condo was a pigsty, the fridge was full of beer, all there was to eat was TV dinners and somehow the young man ended up with the vast majority of the chores….Then to top it all off Shinji found out about his _other_ roommate, a **hot springs penguin** named Pen-Pen. Shinji just sighed over dinner. '_What have I gotten myself into?_' he wondered forlornly.

….

**Tokyo-3 Middle School, Class 2-A**

Monday morning Shinji was sitting towards the front center of Class 2-A. He had been introduced to the class that morning but after a weekend of Misato and Pen-Pen's beer laden antics the boy was running on autopilot. He really didn't notice anything in particular. The dark haired young man _did_ notice the enigmatic Ayanami Rei sitting over by the window bandaged up with her right eye patched. He wasn't sure what to think of her. For some reason his Father Gendo paid attention to Rei and that made Shinji curious about the light blue haired girl….

All the while; Naruto was sitting at the back of the class keeping an eye on Shinji. '_Ikari is as oblivious as ever._ _He didn't even notice me_….' thought the blonde with a mental chuckle. Naruto had been using his sensory abilities rather liberally since returning to class that morning and he noted that both Ikari and the Ayanami girl had active chakra networks just like a shinobi. They were both far above average for a civilian. Both displayed high genin level capacities from what Naruto could tell. '_Must be from interacting with the EVAs_.' thought the young ninja. The rest of the kids in class displayed higher than average chakra levels as well but their chakra networks weren't active. Naruto and Sakura had been communicating through ANBU code all morning theorizing about this.

["Perhaps an active chakra system is a necessity to interface with an EVA"] said Sakura. ["My guess is being in close contact with an EVA and its massive chakra system jump starts the pilot's system in some way. It's a shame I can't study it directly instead of just theorizing."]

Naruto signed in agreement. ["Well, for what it's worth your theory makes sense to me but then again I'm no medic. That's _your_ area of expertise. It's too bad you and Doctor Akagi can't punt ideas around. I get the impression she likes you and your mega intelligence."]

Sakura smiled. ["Are you trying to butter me up?"]

["Nah….I'm just stating a fact. You've always been super smart."] replied Naruto with a grin.

The two continued to banter throughout the morning. Nothing really exciting happened in class until lunchtime….

….

**Lunchtime….**

….Shinji suddenly found himself the center of unwanted attention. A girl asked him, "So the rumor's true, isn't it?"

The dark haired boy looked confused and asked, "….Rumor?"

Another girl exclaimed, "Don't play dumb. The rumor that you're that you're that robot's _pilot!"_

"….It's true…." replied Shinji timidly.

"**_THAT IS SO COOL!_**" shrieked the first girl. "How did they choose you?"

He was barraged with questions but one was louder than the others. "What _was_ that monster? Is it some country's secret weapon?"

Shinji paused and answered, "I don't know much about it. They called it an '**_Angel_**.' ….But nobody seemed to know exactly what it was…."

That's when a tall boy in a tracksuit came in and yelled at Shinji, "**You think you're all that but you don't know ****_anything_**** do you?!**"

The class rep Horaki Hikari said, "Suzuhara Toji! You missed a whole week of school without permission…."

"It's none of your concern!" snapped Toji. "**Shaddup!**"*④ Suzuhara turned back to Shinji. "You, new kid! Step outside **now**!"

Shinji followed Toji outside to see what the athletic boy wanted. Finally they made it up to the roof and Suzuhara rounded on the EVA pilot. He growled, "_Listen up!_ My younger sister was hurt _bad_….She's still in the hospital! Don't you feel sorry for her?" The jock's eyes narrowed and he asked, "Whose fault do you think that was…?" Then Toji exploded. "**It's ****_your_**** fault! She was ****_pinned under rubble_**** because ****_you_**** had to go crashing around in that robot!**"

Shinji was a bit dumbfounded at the outburst and quietly replied "….Sorry."

"**_Sorry _****just doesn't cut it!**" roared Suzuhara as he decked the Ikari boy.

Shinji rubbed his cheek where he'd been punched and asked Toji, "Don't you get worn out from being angry all the time…?"

The jock lost it and yelled, "**_YOU BASTARD!_** I'm drawing the line right here…!" He lunged at Shinji….

….Then Toji suddenly felt an incredible grip on his shoulder that stopped him dead in his tracks. The athletic boy felt a chill up his spine when Naruto's killing intent laden voice said, "That's enough. _You back off or I __**make**__ you back off_. It's your choice."

Toji looked over his shoulder and saw the blonde ninja's eyes were cold as death. "W-who are you?!" asked the frightened jock.

The whiskered blonde answered, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I just transferred in. I'm sorry for your sister but if Shinji hadn't defeated that Angel then you, your sister and everyone else in this city would be **_dead_**. Did you think about that?"

The jock looked taken aback. He obviously _hadn't_ thought about that. "Ummm…." said Toji.

"Just go." said Naruto. "There's been enough fighting as it is."

Suzuhara nodded and saw his friend Aida Kensuke standing there looking distressed and left with the glasses wearing boy. After they left Naruto turned back to Shinji and held out his hand. "Need help up Ikari?" he asked kindly.

Shinji took the offered hand and Naruto pulled him up. The dark haired boy rubbed his jaw and smiled. "Uzumaki Naruto….I'm glad to see you but what on Earth are you doing here in Tokyo-3…?"

"I arrived here a week ago." explained the blonde ninja. "I got headhunted to be a backup pilot for the EVAs so I live here now. I guess we're stuck working together just like when we were lab partners in school last year."

Ikari remembered the two of them '_accidentally_' filling the science lab with green smoke back at the Musashino Middle School and laughed. Naruto was always up to no good and pranking somebody…. '_Maybe this won't be so bad_….' thought Shinji with a mental chuckle….

….

**NERV Headquarters, Captain Katuragi's Office**

Misato watched the film of her ward as Suzuhara Toji punched him in the cheek and Ikari hit the ground. She sighed. '_Shinji….I guess I'll wait until I get the NERV Intelligence report on the cause of the trouble. Maybe this is just a misunderstanding_.' Then she saw Naruto intervene and help Shinji up. They obviously knew each other and Shinji smiled and actually _laughed_. The purple haired Captain blinked. "That's the first time I've seem Shinji actually smile. He's a cute kid." '_Still, I need to know how Shinji and Naruto know one another. This slipped right by NERV Intelligence and that can't be good_….'

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: Kaji Ryoji: He is Naruto's cousin on Namikaze Minato's side. He was born in Konoha but left before the Second Impact. He is not a ninja.

*②: Musashino: This was where Ikari Shinji was living just before the series started according to his address on the letter he received from Misato. Musashino is a part of Tokyo. The reason I point this out is Tokyo was supposed to have been destroyed during the Second Impact so Musashino must have survived or at least been rebuilt.

*③: LCL is an amber-colored, translucent liquid which allows an EVA pilot to mentally link with their Evangelion Unit. The entry plug of an EVA Unit is completely flooded with LCL and because it is oxygenated; the EVA pilots can 'breathe' the liquid.

*④: Suzuhara Toji is depicted as having a Kansai accent. Your author is no good at accents in the long term. I'll occasionally throw in something in but generally I'll keep his language close to normal. If nothing else it wreaks havoc with spell check….

Evangelion has a lot of structure and timelines that I'm going to be throwing out the window. That isn't to say that canon elements will be gone but a lot of things will be changed. There are so many differences in the different Evangelion media (like manga vs anime) that reconciling them all would be impossible anyway. This story is going to be different to write as well. In most of the crossovers I've done they take place in the Naruto universe with Konoha and the ninjas being the center of the action. In this case we're in Tokyo-3 and Konoha will play a minor role. Hopefully it will turn out interesting. See you next time. Blue out. 4/17/19


	2. Chapter 2

_**Naruto: Aftershock **_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Neon Genesis Evangelion

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

No, I'm not dead. Nothing is abandoned. Real life has been incredibly busy and I haven't had time to write. Hopefully things will settle down soon. Anyway, here is chapter 2 of **Naruto: Aftershock**. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language

[ ] Signifies hand signals/coded messages

Last Time:

_….Then Toji suddenly felt an incredible grip on his shoulder that stopped him dead in his tracks. The athletic boy felt a chill up his spine when Naruto's killing intent laden voice said, "That's enough. You back off or I **make** you back off. It's your choice." _

_Toji looked over his shoulder and saw the blonde ninja's eyes were cold as death. "W-who are you?!" asked the frightened jock._

_The whiskered blonde answered, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I just transferred in. I'm sorry for your sister but if Shinji hadn't defeated that Angel then you, your sister and everyone else in this city would be **dead**. Did you think about that?"_

_The jock looked taken aback. He obviously hadn't thought about that. "Ummm…." said Toji._

_"Just go." said Naruto. "There's been enough fighting as it is."_

_Suzuhara nodded and saw his friend Aida Kensuke standing there looking distressed and left with the glasses wearing boy. After they left Naruto turned back to Shinji and held out his hand. "Need help up Ikari?" he asked kindly. _

_Shinji took the offered hand and Naruto pulled him up. The dark haired boy rubbed his jaw and smiled. "Uzumaki Naruto….I'm glad to see you but what on Earth are you doing here in Tokyo-3…?"_

_"I arrived here a week ago." explained the blonde ninja. "I got headhunted to be a backup pilot for the EVAs so I live here now. I guess we're stuck working together just like when we were lab partners in school last year." _

_Ikari remembered the two of them 'accidentally' filling the science lab with green smoke back at the Musashino Middle School and laughed. Naruto was always up to no good and pranking somebody…. 'Maybe this won't be so bad….' thought Shinji with a mental chuckle…. _

_…._

**_NERV Headquarters, Captain Katuragi's Office_**

_Misato watched the film of her ward as Suzuhara Toji punched him in the cheek and Ikari hit the ground. She sighed. 'Shinji….I guess I'll wait until I get the NERV Intelligence report on the cause of the trouble. Maybe this is just a misunderstanding.' Then she saw Naruto intervene and help Shinji up. They obviously knew each other and Shinji smiled and actually laughed. The purple haired Captain blinked. "That's the first time I've seem Shinji actually smile. He's a cute kid." 'Still, I need to know how Shinji and Naruto know one another. This slipped right by NERV Intelligence and that can't be good….' _

….

**Chapter 2**

**NERV Headquarters**

The chunin ninjas Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura along with Pilot Ayanami Rei were watching the film of Evangelion 01 as it fought the Fourth Angel codenamed Shamshel. The battle wasn't pretty. Shinji had been piloting Unit 01 and pulled off an extremely narrow victory as the Evangelion ran out of power. The top that off the Ikari boy had drawn two civilians into the fray (his classmates Aida Kensuke and Suzahara Toji of all people). Then Shinji disobeyed a retreat order from Captain Katsuragi that had him in deep trouble. Damage to Tokyo-3 and the EVA aside; the entire operation was a colossal fuck up.

[This is a military operation!] signed Naruto in ANBU code. [For Shinji to have disobeyed a direct order….he's in big trouble.]

Sakura nodded. [I hope they don't come down on him to hard. He still has a civilian mindset.]

The blonde signed, [I agree. I think Captain Katsuragi will show him more compassion than most commanding officers would.]

[Misato is a kinder person than most.] signed the kunoichi. [Still, we haven't seen Shinji since the battle. Maybe he's just in confinement.]

[I hope so for his sake.] signed the ninja. [Shinji is fragile in his own way. He really isn't ready for all this.]

The rosette sighed sadly. [I know….we may have to intervene somehow.]

….

**Solitary Confinement**

Ikari Shinji was sitting in solitary with Captain Katsuragi looming over him. Misato was furious but had done her best to calm herself down. She frowned and asked the dark haired boy, "Why did you disregard my orders Shinji?" He looked sullen and she continued. "I can overlook the fact that you let those two into the entry plug but what do you think would have happened if you _hadn't_ been able to defeat the Angel?"

Shinji couldn't meet her glare. "I'm sorry Misato."

"_I'm sorry_ isn't good enough!" roared Misato. The purple haired woman was beside herself. "I'm your Operations Supervisor! You have an _obligation_ to follow my orders! Understand?!"

Shinji sighed. "I….I know. I'm only a pilot….your subordinate. That's all I am to you."

Katsuragi was shocked and asked, "What?"

"Did you want us to live together because it's easier to keep an eye on me?" asked the Ikari boy. "I mean….that's _okay_. But at first I thought you actually cared about me."

Misato felt the situation was spiraling out of control and said, "Wait a minute! What are you saying?"

Then Shinji said defiantly, "Anyway, I don't see what the big deal is! I _won_ didn't I?!"

The purple haired woman lost her temper and slapped him hard enough to leave a red mark on his face. "How dare you!" she yelled. "Just _what_ do you think your duty _is_?!"

Shinji was stunned and Misato turned away feeling guilty. Finally she said, "….That's all Shinji….Go home and rest okay?"

The Ikari boy replied quietly, "Yes Ma'am…." and left without another word.

….

**Katsuragi Misato's Condo**

That afternoon Shinji packed his backpack and went out for a walk. He didn't plan to go back home. It was only after wandering around the city of Tokyo-3 for hours in the heat that he started thinking about his situation….

'_This is dumb_.' thought Shinji to himself. '_No matter how long I keep walking around; there's no place for me to go. I'm just running away from the facts_….' He felt himself sinking into a depression. '_No matter where I go; I'm too insecure to be of use to anyone….That's why nobody could ever need somebody like me….even Dad and Misato. They only need me as a **pilot**; not as a person. But I knew that all along; didn't I…?_'

The dark haired boy was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone was coming up behind him silently in the dark…."What are you doing out so late in the night?" asked a female voice as a hand came down on his shoulder.

"**_AAAIIIEEEEEEE!_**" screeched Shinji as he nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled around in terror and got ready to run when he saw the pink haired form of one of his fellow pilots. "S-S-Sakura?!" he squeaked. "I-I…."

He emerald green eyes were full of concern and she said, "I didn't mean to scare you Shinji. What are you-" His stomach growled suddenly and Ikari blushed. Sakura giggled and asked, "Are you hungry Shinji-kun? I live right over there." she said as she pointed across the street. "Come over to my place and have something to eat."

….

The pair of teens trudged up the stairs to Sakura's apartment. She closed the door behind them and said, "Relax and make yourself at home. I'll fix us some dinner."

Shinji took his shoes off and reluctantly sat down. '_What am I doing here…?_' he thought to himself. '_Why is Sakura being so nice to me? I've really never gotten to know her….I feel kind of bad about that_….'

Soon the Ikari boy and the Haruno kunoichi were making small talk about anything and everything and Shinji found himself relaxing in her company. It wasn't until the two teens were sitting together eating at the dinner table that Sakura asked him something serious. "….So what does it feel like to run away Shinji-kun…?"

….

**NERV Headquarters, Doctor Akagi Ritsuko's Office**

The next morning Misato told Ritsuko the news about Shinji being gone and the bleach blonde's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "**_WHAT?!_**" shrieked the scientist. "Shinji's been missing since yesterday?!"

"I thought he was acting weird…." admitted Misato. "….But I never dreamed that he'd run away."

Doctor Akagi asked, "….And you call yourself his _overseer_?"

The purple haired woman said glumly, "Don't talk like that."

"We don't have much choice." said Ritsuko. "We have to report this."

Captain Katsuragi was alarmed. "Wait! He still might come home-"

"If something happens it could be too late." said the bleach blonde cutting Misato off. "….Or are you saying that you'll go look for him yourself?"

"How?" asked Misato. "I have no idea where he would go." She thought sadly, '_I think I went too far when I slapped him….I wonder if he's coming home tonight? What are you thinking Shinji?_'

….

**Haruno Sakura's Apartment**

Ikari Shinji woke up that day around noon in Sakura's bed. He was intertwined with the pink haired kunoichi and had his arms around her narrow waist. Shinji was spooning her slightly smaller frame against his. His blue eyes widened and he began to panic at feeling her nude form so intimately close to his own but also felt himself getting a morning erection right against her firm rear end. The Ikari boy felt his mind drift to the night before and he remembered bits and pieces of their conversation….

_….Sakura was holding his hands as her emerald eyes looked deeply into his blue ones. He couldn't fathom what she was thinking at all but he felt so cold and alone despite the summer heat permeating the air. Sakura said, "Let me take care of you tonight Shinji-kun. I promise you'll feel better in the morning." _

_Shinji felt afraid and asked, "But what will happen?"_

_She smiled softly and said, "You need love Shinji-kun. Let me show you what it's like…."_

….

After that the dark haired boy had his first sexual experience and found out that Haruno Sakura could fulfill the wildest of his fantasies. She was compassionate and cared for him but at the same time was erotic and made the entire night amazing. When he awoke Shinji felt completely sated but at the same time felt his desire rising as his flesh made contact with her incredibly soft and smooth skin….

Sakura rolled over with a sultry smile on her face and said, "Mmmm….Good morning Shinji-kun. Do you always wake up at full mast? I think I need to take care of that for you…."

_Needless to say they skipped out of school that day_….It wasn't until the following day around noon that NERV Public Security and Intelligence Bureau caught up with Shinji. He and Sakura were slow riding in her bed at the time and they both thought they'd die of embarrassment whenthe armed men busted in….

….

**NERV Headquarters, Captain Katsuragi's Office**

Misato was both shocked and amused at the photos of Shinji and Sakura caught in the act by NERV Intelligence. The Intelligence Officer said, "It seems that Ikari Shinji departed your residence to go shack up with his girlfriend Haruno Sakura at her apartment. When we found them we took Ikari into custody and Haruno came along with him to show her support. They are down in Solitary."

Misato did her best to stifle her chuckles and asked, "Did you at least let them finish?" as she pointed to a particularly steamy picture of the two teens in the heat of passion.

The NERV Officer said, "No Ma'am." in and uncomfortable voice.

Katsuragi smiled and said. "That's too bad. You are dismissed. I'll go talk to the kids."

….

**Solitary Confinement**

Captain Katsuragi came down and saw Sakura fretting outside Shinji's cell. Misato asked the pinkette, "So Shinji was with you the whole time he was missing?"

The kunoichi looked embarrassed and said, "He came over and was really upset. I just wanted to make him happy….Please don't be too hard on Shinji-kun. He was really stressed and distraught."

Misato thought of her times in college that she shacked up with Kaji for days on end and mentally shrugged. '_I guess it wouldn't be right for the pot to call the kettle black._' "Don't worry Sakura; I was just worried about Shinji. I thought he had run away from home instead of going to see his girlfriend. I didn't know you two were involved. I'm not really mad but I need to keep track of my pilots. You are all _very_ important to me. Let me talk to him and get things smoothed over. I was too harsh with him before and I want him to feel better. Then you two can have the afternoon to yourselves."

"O-okay Misato." said Sakura timidly. "I'll wait out here."

Misato smiled and thought, '_Ah, to be young and in love. Who would have guessed Shinji was such a wild man?_' She went in to talk to the mortified Shinji and closed the door behind her. She grinned and asked teasingly, "How's it going Shin-chan?"

The dark hared boy wanted to faint….

….

**Doctor Akagi Ritsuko's Office **

An hour later, both Shinji and Sakura were getting physicals performed by Doctor Akagi mainly to assure that the pink haired kunoichi wasn't pregnant. Ritsuko was relieved that Sakura was already on birth control but still gave both teens a good talking to about responsibility and safety given they were sexually active now. Shinji was terribly mortified and Sakura acted shy and embarrassed but given she was a kunoichi well versed in seduction techniques; the pinkette was really just playing the part of a naïve teenager….

As for Ritsuko herself she figured Ikari Shinji was like his Father Ikari Gendo who she was madly in love with. '_I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree_.' thought the bleach blonde as she finished giving Shinji his physical. '_Poor Sakura-chan didn't stand a chance against that kind of a man._'

….

Outside Ritsuko's Office, Sakura sent a coded message to Naruto over her secured phone. [Mission accomplished. Pilot Ikari Shinji is clear of dereliction of duty charges and will resume regular duties as planned.]

Naruto's coded message came back. [Any complications?]

[It seems I'm Shinji's girlfriend now. For a virgin he's a pretty good lover. I like him. I get to play teacher!] messaged the pinkette.

Sakura almost laughed when the blonde replied, [Too much information.]

….

An hour after Shinji and Sakura left for home Naruto reported in for his routine physical and found the good Doctor wasn't in. He saw a pile of reports on the desk regarding the Third Child and decided to thumb it to make sure Shinji and Sakura weren't in any kind of trouble. It was fairly straightforward and simply stated they were both sexually active. The pictures of the two teens in action were in a baggy that simply said '_omit_' in Ritsuko's neat handwriting….

….

A few minutes later Doctor Akagi came in and said, "Ah, good. You're right on time for your physical Naruto." She seemed a bit fatigued.

"Are you okay Ritsuko?" asked Naruto concerned.

The bleach blonde scientist smiled weakly and said, "Your fellow pilots kept me busy today. Let's get your physical taken care of." It was about thirty minutes later that Doctor Akagi finished and said, "As always; you are almost ridiculously healthy Uzumaki Naruto." Then Ritsuko snapped her fingers and said, "That reminds me. Rei got her physical this morning as well and is ready to return to full active duty. Can you do me a favor Naruto?"

The whiskered ninja nodded. "It's good Ayanami is all healed up. What is it you need me to do?"

Doctor Akagi got two cards out and handed one to Naruto. "This is your new NERV Security Identification card."

Naruto looked over his new ID and wondered exactly how much clearance he had. '_It could be useful to know in case I need to make an unauthorized excursion_.' he thought. Seeing Ritsuko hold up another card he asked; "What's the second card for?"

Ritsuko looked a bit embarrassed and said, "It's Rei's card. I forgot to give it to her this morning. I'm sorry but can you take it by her place and give it to her for me? She'll need it to get into headquarters tomorrow."

The blonde chunin looked at the address on the card and saw it was in the completely opposite direction from where he lived. He mentally sighed. '_What a pain in the ass_.' "Yeah, I'll run it by Ayanami's place on my way home this evening."

"Thank you Naruto. I really appreciate it." said Doctor Akagi with a smile….

….

After Ritsuko left her office she had no idea that a certain pile of reports set up for Commander Ikari were in the hands of a shadow clone Naruto mischievously left behind. _'Time for some editing_.' thought the clone with a prankster's smile….

….

**Ayanami Rei's Apartment**

The original Naruto soon found himself at a rather run down, dilapidated apartment complex where Ayanami Rei's address was. There were construction noises all around and lots of trash. The ninja wondered about the crime rate there. He raised a blonde eyebrow in confusion. '_As new as Tokyo-3 is; why is a place like this in such a state? It looks like the slums_.' he asked himself. '_More to the point; why would someone as valuable as an EVA Pilot be living in such a dump? I wonder if this address is wrong_.'

The whiskered blonde took the stairs up because the elevator was out of order and made his way to room 402. He saw the name '_Ayanami_' on the door and shrugged. '_I guess this is her place after all_.' Pressing the door buzzer he found that it was broken. Then Naruto silently turned the door handle and found the lock was broken as well. Reaching out with his sensory ninjutsu the ninja sensed Rei's presence within and knocked on the door loudly. Getting no response he cracked open the door and called, "Ayanami, are you home? It's Uzumaki Naruto." '_Is she asleep or something?_'

Calling her name again, Naruto slipped his shoes off and stepped inside. The ninja quickly took in his surroundings and saw just how minimalist the apartment was. The place was dirty and there were plastic bags and boxes of rags from her injuries. There was clutter everywhere in no particular order and the furniture all looked third hand. "….What is she doing alone in a place like this…?" he whispered to himself.

That was when Rei walked out of her shower with nothing but a towel on. The light blue haired girl was in the process of drying herself off when she realized Naruto was there. His azure blue eyes widened and he expected her to scream. He quickly blurted out, "I'm sorry; I rang the doorbell but-"

The red eyed girl said in her normal, quiet tone of voice, "What can I do for you?"

Naruto was a bit dumbfounded as the (more or less) naked young woman walked by him to her dresser and put on a clean pair of panties and a bra. He admired her lithe, wispy form for a moment and wondered about Rei's strange behavior. '_I've seen naked women up close before but-_' He shook his thoughts clear. "I have your new ID card. Doctor Akagi asked me to drop it off….Sorry I came in without permission…."

Rei was slipping on a white button up blouse by then and said, "Leave the card over there then."

Naruto set the card on her table and asked, "Do you want some help straightening this place up? It's not healthy for you to live this way."

She looked at Naruto with the tiniest hint of surprise in her deep red eyes. '_No one has ever offered to help me before outside of piloting EVA_.' she thought. "Why would you…?"

"Because I care." said the spiky haired blonde. "Would you like my help?"

Hesitantly, Ayanami said, "Yes….I….thank you…."

Naruto looked around at the squalor and said, "I guess there's no time like the present. Let's get to work…."

….

**Katsuragi Misato's Condo**

That evening, Misato was very pleased to have Shinji home and his girlfriend Haruno Sakura having dinner with them. The first thing kunoichi noted was what a pit the place was and how Shinji was fighting an uphill battle against the mess that the beer drinking Misato and Pen-Pen seemed to revel in. '_Though it would be inconvenient to the security of my mission; perhaps I should have Shinji-kun move in with me to save his sanity_.' thought the pinkette with a sweat drop.

Relentless teasing from Misato aside; Shinji liked having Sakura there and it was obvious that the purple haired woman was happy for them. the pinkette was happy too because she was worried about how Misato would react initially. In the back of the kunoichi's mind she wondered what it would mean for she and Naruto's mission. She and the blonde ninja had already agreed that they should try to get Shinji and Rei to join their cause but he'd asked Sakura to '_Try to become friends with Ayanami_,' not '_Jump in the sack with Shinji_.'

Sakura mentally sighed. '…._Then there's the fact Naruto had a crush on me when we were younger. Does he still feel that way? I hope not as I do consider him a friend; just not that way….I wonder what he's up to now…?_'

….

**Ayanami Rei's Apartment**

The blonde was busy. Naruto and Rei worked at cleaning her apartment until late in the evening when the red eyed young woman yawned. She was obviously very tired. The blonde had a lot of stamina left but he was feeling worn out himself. The potent smell of cleaning chemicals and bleach permeated the place and the Uzumaki chunin wanted to take a break. He surveyed their work and wished he could just make a bunch of shadow clones to help but that was a no go….for now.

Rei sat down on her beat up bed and asked between yawns, "Uzumaki-kun, do you really believe that Haruno-san and Ikari-san would help too?"

The blonde nodded. "I'm sure Sakura and Ikari would help fix this place up….But I still think it would be better for you to move to a safer, more secure area. Right now you don't even have a door that will latch…."

"But Commander Ikari gave me this apartment." said Rei.

Naruto wanted to tear his hair out at the Ayanami girl's blind faith in Ikari Gendo. As their conversation carried through the evening the spiky haired young man realized that the Commander was the _one_ person she believed in. '_What is it that has Ayanami so devoted to Commander Ikari? I –wait a minute_….' The ninja smiled mentally. '_Rei is an intelligent girl; maybe I should try to appeal to her logical side_.' "Ayanami-san, have you reported the condition of your apartment complex to the Commander? Surely he wouldn't want one of his valuable pilots living under these conditions." Then the blonde added, "Captain Katsuragi could inspect the place and give you some advice. If the Commander doesn't know about it then it's no wonder you don't have a better place."

"I've always just made do with what I have…." said Rei quietly.

"Don't you think the Commander would _want_ to know?" asked Naruto. "You yourself said the hot water doesn't work. Commander Ikari would be _appalled_."

The red eyed girl looked conflicted and then said with determination, "I will address this issue with Commander Ikari tomorrow at Headquarters after the successful activation tests for Unit 00."

The blonde ninja smiled. "I think that's an excellent idea Ayanami-san."

For the rest of the evening, the two teens worked on a document regarding the state of her apartment and a proposal to move….

….

**NERV Headquarters, EVA Test Bay #6**

The next morning Unit 00 was ready for its activation tests. All the pilots were there as were The Commander, Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko and Misato. Doctor Akagi was talking to Shinji, Sakura and Naruto as Rei went out to the entry plug for Unit 00. The bleach blonde scientist said, "Once these activation tests are successful the plan is Sakura will be Rei's backup pilot on Unit 00 and Naruto will be Shinji's backup on Unit 01. As more EVAs are constructed Naruto and Sakura will get their own units." She looked at the pilots and asked, "Naruto, Sakura; what do you think of your new plugsuits? I can tell they fit you better than the borrowed ones already."

Naruto was wearing a suit similar to Shinji's but it was red over the shoulders, upper torso and arms where Shinji's was white. The lower torso down was blue. "It's great but I would rather have had orange." replied the blonde ninja. "It _is _more comfortable though." _Sakura sweat dropped at Naruto's obsession with orange_….

Sakura smiled weakly and said, "I prefer this one to the white one I had to borrow." Unlike Naruto who had a multicolored suit; Sakura had a uniform emerald green suit with accents similar to Rei's white one. She still found the skin tight suits to be a bit too revealing personally. On the other hand; Shinji _liked_ her plugsuit though and blushed slightly as he admired Sakura in it….

Misato chuckled and said, "You'll get used to them." she looked out at Unit 00 with a little trepidation and said, "I'm sure that things will go smoothly for Rei this time….We need two EVAs to battle the Angels. Just Unit 01 alone isn't enough."

Ritsuko cringed and thought '_The last time was a disaster. It's probably a miracle Rei survived despite her injuries. She was bandaged up for a month_.'

….

The other pilots watched as Unit 00's activation test carefully and after several tense minutes of power up procedures Ibuki Maya declared, "Unit 00 has been activated!"

Ritsuko let out a slight sigh of relief and said, "Let's continue to the linkage tests."

It took time but the linkage tests between Rei and the temperamental Unit 00 but in the end all was successful and Rei's fellow pilots congratulated her which surprised the light blue haired girl. She thought to herself, '_Perhaps Uzumaki-kun is right….Haruno-san and Ikari-san might help me too_….'

….

**Commander Ikari's Office**

Ikari Gendo was reading his reports after the Unit 00 activation tests. Considering all the tests were all in the green; he was pleased (for a misanthropic hermit) and figured the rest of the day's reports would be fairly inconsequential. Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki came in and was sweating. He said, "Commander, I believe you should look at these reports regarding the Third Child's recent (_ahem_) activities with the Sixth Child. Ordinarily I wouldn't bother you with them, but-"

The NERV Commander was a bit puzzled about Fuyatsuki's hesitant manner. It wasn't like the Deputy Commander at all. "Is there a problem with his behavior that requires my attention Fuyutsuki?"

The older man just handed the NERV Intelligence report on Shinji along with Misato and Ritsuko's and blushed slightly. "Just read them Gendo."

It was rare Fuyutsuki called him by name and the elder Ikari raised his eyebrows at the older man. "Very well; if you deem it important then I'll take a look." The NERV Commander soon read the Intelligence Division report's extremely sordid and graphic description of his son's _mating habits_ with his fellow Pilot Haruno Sakura. It read more like a steamy novel than an objective report. What was worse was the fact that _all _the photos for 'evidence' of their activities were included. Gendo was shocked beyond words and sweating a bit at the scandalous descriptions that the (apparently) amateur pornographic writer from intelligence committed to paper.

Somewhere within Gendo Ikari a feeling of Fatherly pride welled up at his son's sexual prowess…._or more likely it was indigestion from that meatball sandwich he had for lunch….Yes, that's it…_.

Misato's and Ritsuko's reports were also as racy and risqué as could be and the NERV Commander wondered what the hell got into his subordinates….

…._Meanwhile a blonde ninja was laughing_….

….Five minutes later Ayanami Rei came to see the still reeling Commander Ikari. '_Thank god, some normalcy_.' thought Gendo in relief. He gave a minimal smile and said, "You did well in your tests today Rei. What brings you here to see me?"

Rei said, "Thank you sir. Please forgive me for interrupting your busy schedule."

Gendo replied, "It is alright Rei; I can make time. What did you wish to discuss?"

She fidgeted slightly. "It is my current residence sir. The location is no longer secure."

Both the recently returned Fuyutsuki and elder Ikari's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean Rei?" asked the Commander.

"Several of the facilities including the front door lock and hot water no longer function." replied the light blue haired girl flatly.

"You have no hot water?" asked Fuyutsuki in surprise. Seeing Rei nod; he asked, "Have you contacted your landlord?"

Rei's red eyes hardened slightly and she said, "Management there is inadequate at best. I have compiled a list of things that need to be repaired or replaced." She placed a neatly typed document titled '_List of Grievances_' on Commander Ikari's desk.

Gendo picked up the list and it read more like a manifesto than a list of things that needed to be fixed. His eyes got wider and wider as he read page after page of graphic descriptions of things that were wrong with Rei's Apartment. Fuyutsuki read over Commander Ikari's shoulder and his jaw dropped. The older man said, "Pilot Ayanami; surely this is an exaggeration."

The red eyed girl countered, "There is no exaggeration sir. Feel free to send someone to confirm the situation and you will find that my report is entirely accurate."

Then the frazzled Commander Ikari made a _fatal_ mistake. "I have to see this for _myself_." said Gendo. "You are with me Fuyutsuki."

….

**Ayanami Rei's Apartment**

Naruto had just finished _tinkering_ with Rei's Apartment and hid nearby with a camera to watch as the Commander and Deputy Commander of NERV arrived on the scene in a limo with Ayanami riding along. The blonde was really surprised. '_I figured they'd send a poor maintenance guy; not come in person_.' He watched as Rei pointed towards the door ringer and Fuyutsuki pressed it to confirm it didn't work. The Deputy Commander promptly was electrocuted and fell back smoking into the hall. The ninja grinned evilly and thought, '_Karma is a bitch_….'

Over the next two hours Naruto watch in extreme glee as Gendo and Fuyutsuki were burned, repeatedly shocked and nearly drowned while Rei miraculously remained completely unscathed. The oven acting like a blast furnace was true pranking art as was the bathroom fan falling on Gendo's head and knocking him face first into the toilet….But Naruto's crowning achievement was when the hot water heater exploded and flooded both men completely out of Rei's apartment and left her completely dry and unharmed. Naruto practically had to shove his fist in his mouth as the two wet, scalded men crawled from the wreckage while the blonde filmed everything for future blackmail purposes….

"I….I admit defeat…." croaked Fuyutsuki hoarsely as head laid in the hall with Commander Ikari sprawled on top of him. "I can't take any more of this hellhole."

Gendo coughed out some smoke and said "Th-that was the coup de grace. I've never suffered so much misfortune in my life in such a short time….It is a _miracle_ you're alive Rei…."

Rei came out of the apartment curious as to why all the problem areas went totally wacko but figured it was just fate's way of saying it was time to move. "As you can see there was no exaggeration in my report sir." She then handed a '_List of Demands_' to outline what she needed in a new apartment to Gendo who simply signed the _small book _sized document to give the blue haired girl the luxury apartment she wanted with no questions asked as to why a teenage pilot needed a hot tub big enough for eight, a billiard table and a wine bar….

….

**Keel ****Lorenz's Residence**

Seele backed and funded NERV. They were an organization that was a riddle wrapped within an enigma….especially their Chairman….

Seele's mysterious Chairman Keel Lorenz felt his cybernetic bowels*① flaring up again and groaned pitifully. He had been stuck in the bathroom for hours. His _Ultra Digestomasticator Stomach Turbo Mark VIII_ was malfunctioning and there was an atrocious methane leak that needed to be repaired. (The Mexican food he'd eaten last night probably didn't help). The bills for stomach repairs would probably cost as much as a Third World Country's annual budget. That aside; Chairman Lorenz didn't get that way unless something like a wrench got thrown in his carefully laid plans. He grumbled to himself as he reread Kaji Ryoji's printed report on the Second Child Asuka Soryu Langley's progress in NERV Germany along with the final testing of Unit 02.

…._Everything was going well until earlier that day when Chairman Lorenz was reading Kaji's report the first time. He had just authorized the transport of Unit 02 and the Second Child from Germany to Tokyo-3 in Japan when a picture of the beautiful redheaded girl Asuka fell out of the report folder and landed beside the picture of the mysterious blonde Seventh Child Uzumaki Naruto. They barely overlapped….At that very moment in time his artificial stomach blew out and started leaking horrendously_….

Lorenz had been feverishly reading through the _Dead Sea Scrolls_ in his possession to figure out what this meant ever since. This had to be a sign of some sort! It was taking time to transcribe because the _Google Translate_ that Keel had on his laptop he was using from his golden throne in the bathroom didn't have the Ancient Aramaic on it.*② All he could find so far was some gibberish about a mischievous fox spirit with nine tales that loved to prank others….

'_Wait a minute!_' thought Keel. '_The Second Child and the Seventh Child….If you add **two** and **seven** you get **nine**! Nine tails and_….' He shook his head in disbelief. "**Oh, what a load of malarkey!**" bellowed Lorenz as he was hit with another painful gastric discharge….

…._It was shaping up to be a long day_….

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: Cybernetic bowels -At some point between Second Impact and 2015; most of Keel's body below the neck was replaced with cybernetic implants. Although he uses a visor to see; Keel still possesses eyes.

*②: Yes, your author is well aware that there is an Aramaic translator on the web but Keel Lorenz, for all his knowledge, doesn't.

Okay, canon is starting to go off the rails here. _Operation Yashima_ (with the Fifth Angel Ramiel) has been delayed a bit to allow for some character/plot development. I'm also considering changing the _Jet Alone_ scenario around a bit because it's self contained. It was actually omitted in the manga so I'll probably leave plenty of play in it for my own version. See you next time. Blue out. 8/3/19


	3. Chapter 3

_**Naruto: Aftershock **_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Neon Genesis Evangelion

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter we take a slight detour and introduce two familiar characters. It will deviate from canon even further. I was originally going to have Operation Yashima this chapter but I guess it will be in the next few chapters now. Here is chapter 3 of **Naruto: Aftershock**. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language

[ ] Signifies hand signals/coded messages

Last Time:

**_Keel Lorenz's Residence_**

_Seele backed and funded NERV. They were an organization that was a riddle wrapped within an enigma….especially their Chairman…. _

_Seele's mysterious Chairman Keel Lorenz felt his cybernetic bowels flaring up again and groaned pitifully. He had been stuck in the bathroom for hours. His Ultra Digestomasticator Stomach Turbo Mark VIII was malfunctioning and there was an atrocious methane leak that needed to be repaired. (The Mexican food he'd eaten last night probably didn't help). The bills for stomach repairs would probably cost as much as a Third World Country's annual budget. That aside; Chairman Lorenz didn't get that way unless something like a wrench got thrown in his carefully laid plans. He grumbled to himself as he reread Kaji Ryoji's printed report on the Second Child Asuka Soryu Langley's progress in NERV Germany along with the final testing of Unit 02. _

_….Everything was going well until earlier that day when Chairman Lorenz was reading Kaji's report the first time. He had just authorized the transport of Unit 02 and the Second Child from Germany to Tokyo-3 in Japan when a picture of the beautiful redheaded girl Asuka fell out of the report folder and landed beside the picture of the mysterious blonde Seventh Child Uzumaki Naruto. They barely overlapped….At that very moment in time his artificial stomach blew out and started leaking horrendously…._

_Lorenz had been feverishly reading through the Dead Sea Scrolls in his possession to figure out what this meant ever since. This had to be a sign of some sort! It was taking time to transcribe because the Google Translate that Keel had on his laptop he was using from his golden throne in the bathroom didn't have the Ancient Aramaic on it. All he could find so far was some gibberish about a mischievous fox spirit with nine tales that loved to prank others…._

_'Wait a minute!' thought Keel. 'The Second Child and the Seventh Child….If you add **two** and **seven** you get **nine**! Nine tails and….' He shook his head in disbelief. "**Oh, what a load of malarkey!**" bellowed Lorenz as he was hit with another painful gastric discharge…._

_….It was shaping up to be a long day…._

….

**Chapter 3**

**Tokyo-3, NERV Headquarters**

The Angels hadn't reared their heads in weeks and the EVA pilots found themselves with some unexpected downtime. Naruto was called into see Ritsuko who was already talking with Misato when he arrived. The Doctor had a set of unusual orders from the top that pertained to the Uzumaki pilot and Captain Katsuragi also needed to be informed….

"….I've been chosen to go to NERV Germany to check on Unit 02?!" asked the blonde ninja in a confused tone. "Why me?"

Misato was puzzled as well. "Can you explain this to us Ritsuko? It doesn't make much sense to me as Tactical Commander to send a pilot when what we need is an Inspector."

"There's _already_ a NERV Special Inspector there in the Germany branch." said Doctor Akagi. "He says the Second Child, Soryu Asuka Langley, is ready but the EVA Unit 02 is having teething troubles. Having a second pilot show up there should give them enough impetus to get on with things. Unit 02 was already supposed to be on its way to us; not collecting dust in Europe. The orders came directly from the Committee."

"Why send Naruto in particular then?" asked Captain Katsuragi.

Ritsuko sighed and thought, '_Can't you leave it alone and just follow orders Misato?_' "Naruto is a backup pilot so he is _available_. He has a higher synch ratio than Sakura so he's got a higher chance of synching with Unit 02. Uzumaki _also _happens to speak German. If it turns out the problem lies with the Second Child's synch ratio then Naruto will take over as the primary pilot for Unit 02."

'_The NERV Germany branch is just going to **love** this_….' thought Misato with an eye roll. "Looks like you're going to Germany Naruto-kun."

The blonde ninja nodded. "I understand. I'll go but I'm not sure what I can accomplish there. I'm just a pilot after all…." '_Now I need to recruit the Second Child if possible. I wasn't expecting these orders to come in but I need to take advantage of the situation. I'll strike while the iron is hot_.'

….

**UN Flight 101 **

It was only a day later when Naruto was on a UN supersonic transport flying towards NERV Germany. The ninja found it very strange since he was the only passenger on the aircraft. The lone stewardess was very friendly and cute but it was obvious she viewed Naruto as a kid whether he was a VIP or not. '_I guess I'll just play along_.' thought the blonde glumly. '_It isn't like most fourteen year olds are taken seriously by adults anyway_.' The trip was a boring one but the blonde had a gut feeling that things would get hot once they got to NERV Germany….and he _always_ trusted his instincts….

….

**NERV Germany**

Naruto got off the UN flight he'd been on and was picked up by two NERV Security Agents in an armored limo. The two big men approached him and said in very rough Japanese, "NERV Pilot Uzumaki Naruto? You are with us." The blonde ninja wanted to laugh. '_These guys are so highly visible it isn't even funny. The way they picked me up was about a subtle as a sledgehammer hitting someone in the face_.' His prankster side wanted to pull something on the two stuffy agents but in the end Naruto just let them be. The whiskered blonde figured there would be enough problems with this mission without him mucking around too much….

As the limo drove along; the ninja went over his mental checklist. '_EVA Units 02, 05 and 06 are under construction here in Germany. As of last month's report to NERV Headquarters; Units 05 and 06 are 53% and 28% completed respectively. Unit 02 is 100% complete and was ordered to be shipped via UN transport two weeks ago yet it is still here in Europe in testing. The Seele Committee wants to find out what the delay is and speed things up. NERV Special Inspector Kaji Ryoji is on station but has not resolved the issue. He is also unaware that I am here in Germany_.' Naruto chuckled and looked over his cousin Kaji's dossier from NERV. It didn't say much more than a photo ID card would but at least it was a recent photo.

The blonde knew the rest of Kaji Ryoji's story by heart. '_He was a Konoha ninja academy student prior to the Second Impact. Then Kaji dropped out and left Konoha Village never to return._' Naruto frowned slightly. '_He left before I was born but he was close to my Dad….Hokage Jiji informed him that I was born so he came and saw me at a neutral location with Jiraiya when I was a baby. That was the only time he's met me. Then he apparently accepted Jiji's instructions to take me in as his ward in Tokyo-3 without any form of argument….Kaji, you don't know how lucky you are that I'm not the vengeful type_.' Turning away from his darker thoughts, the ninja pondered, '_Now the man is a triple agent. He works as a spy for the Japanese Ministry of the Interior, a NERV Special Inspector and as a cat's-paw for Seele….You live in a dangerous world Kaji Ryoji. What a colossal clusterfuck. Do I dare try to get you out of this jam you've made for yourself…?_'

….

When the limo pulled into NERV Germany's massive underground complex Naruto couldn't help but be impressed. It was titanic but it still wasn't on par with the Geofront that Tokyo-3 was in. Nevertheless it was a small city unto itself. Then the NERV Agents dropped the blonde ninja off at a hotel and left him on his own without directions or anything. '_Bastards, I should have pranked the hell out of them after all_.' thought Naruto mutinously. Naruto checked into his room at the hotel and according to his orders he wasn't supposed to report in until the next morning. With nothing to do Naruto was bored….and a _bored_ Naruto is a _dangerous_ Naruto as any Konoha citizen could tell you….

After wandering about a bit to see the general layout of the area; Naruto had some lunch at a local bar and grill and found he was still fluent enough in German to communicate without any problems. Then he went down to the NERV Germany entrance and tried out his security ID card. When the security gates opened the blonde showed himself in and decided to take a good look around. He soon found that security was surprisingly lax by NERV standards and infiltrated one of their security rooms under a henge as a guard. It didn't take Naruto long to find his mark using the security camera network. Special Inspector Kaji Ryoji was in the lounge/cafeteria three floors down. The ninja also realized the communications room was two doors over and got an evil smile….

Switching his henge to that of a technician; Naruto went into the communications room and wired the public announcement system with a little surprise for everyone-a microplayer that he could activate by remote. Swapping out his henge once more to that of a NERV Security Agent; the blonde ninja took the elevator down three floors and walked into the cafeteria to scope it out. He saw Kaji flirting with a pretty brunette woman as the pair drank coffee together. Ryoji looked like he was about to make his move on the woman when the PA system exploded into load, obnoxious cacophony and nearly deafened the Special Inspector….

_Cherry, Wild, Wild Cherry - talkin' 'bout Cherry, Wild, Wild Cherry,  
She make love like a wildcat - roll like a wire-chrome wheel,  
She tastes so good, Wild Cherry - ooh, she makes me feel!  
Cherry, Wild, Wild Cherry._

_Dressed like Raggedy Annie - red-headed baby doll,  
Spends her time drinkin' wine - diggin' that rock and roll.  
Cherry, Wild Wild Cherry._

_She make love like a wildcat - roll like a wire-chrome wheel,  
She tastes so good, Wild Cherry - ooh she makes me feel,  
Cherry, Wild, Wild Cherry. Whoa!_

_Rock on!...*①_

….

The PA was at about five times the normal volume and the whole base was driven into a frenzy while it was playing. It appeared that Naruto was just doing his best to drive the locals insane but his real purpose was to corner his cousin who ran to an observation deck outside to get away from the noise. Kaji thought his ears were bleeding when the door to the deck closed behind him. The first thing the triple agent heard when he got his hearing back was, "Special Inspector Kaji Ryoji; I've been expecting you."

Kaji turned to the voice and saw a blonde standing there casually with his hands in the pockets of his black NERV jacket. Ryoji's eyes widened and he gasped, "M-minato…?"

"Wrong." replied the blonde. "It's Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto's cousin face faulted and then started to laugh. People were still running around willy-nilly inside where the music was blasting and Kaji asked, "_You _caused all that noise didn't you?!"

The blonde shrugged and said nonchalantly, "I have no idea what you're talking about." which made Kaji laugh even harder.

'_He looks like Minato nii-san but acts like Kushina nee-chan_.' thought the dark haired man between guffaws. Kaji held out his hand and said, "Welcome to NERV Germany Naruto." and the two cousins shook hands….

….

Soryu Asuka Langley came into the cafeteria looking for the object of her affections, Kaji Ryoji. The beautiful redheaded girl looked around and saw him standing on the observation deck laughing. She giggled. '_Mister Kaji looks so happy smiling like that. I wonder what's going on_." The Second Child walked over and opened the door out to the observation deck only to see Kaji talking with….A shorter, blonde version of himself….?! Her blue eyes widened in confusion. Then she noticed the blonde had a more rounded face and whisker marks (?) on his cheeks. "Mister Kaji…?" she asked.

Kaji got his previous chuckles under control and said, "Ah, Asuka; good timing. This is my younger cousin Uzumaki Naruto. He works for NERV Japan. Naruto, this is Soryu Asuka Langley, the designated pilot of EVA Unit 02."

Naruto smiled like his cousin always did and bowed. "It's an honor to meet the Second Child Soryu-san. You are quite lovely. I'm the Seventh Child and currently a backup pilot. I do hope we can get along."

The redhead found herself blushing slightly and she said, "It's very nice to meet you Naruto. I'm sure we'll get along just fine." '_He's really cute!_' "….Um; I hope you don't mind me asking, but-"

The ninja grinned and motioned to the whisker marks on his cheeks. "They are birthmarks. Everyone always says they make me look like a fox." He chuckled, "That is what you were going to ask about wasn't it Soryu-san?"

The Second Child got a little flustered and said, "I guess you get asked that a lot."

"It's fine." replied the prankster.

'_I should really try to be friends with him if he's Mister Kaji's cousin_.' thought Asuka. "So what brings you all the out here to NERV Germany from Japan Naruto?"

Naruto explained, "I've been informed that Unit 02 has no backup pilot. If I can synchronize with it I will be serving in that capacity."

Asuka's beautiful face contorted into an angry scowl and she shrieked, "The **_hell_** you will! Unit 02 is **_my_** Evangelion! I'm not handing over my Unit to anyone! **_Do you hear me?!_**" Then she stormed off in a rage.

The blonde ninja gave Kaji a sardonic smile. "It seems I've rubbed Soryu-san the wrong way….Is she always this way or did I just make a really bad impression upon her?"

The Special Inspector rubbed his chin and said, "Asuka tries to hide it around me but she's got quite a temper. Dynamite comes in small packages you know; especially when it comes to women."

"In other words I'm doomed and she considers me her mortal enemy…." said Naruto in a flat tone.

"I think that sums it up nicely Naruto." replied Kaji with a smile.

….

The next morning Naruto reported in for duty and no one was any wiser that he'd already scouted the place. With the exceptions of Asuka and Kaji no one knew he'd been there previously. He was 'introduced' to the Second Child and Ryoji as well as several staff members. Soon talk switched over to the subject of the EVA and the redheaded girl agreed to take Naruto down to the cages to see Unit 02.

Kaji decided to tag along so Asuka would be civil. About halfway there the blonde felt his danger sense rising and said, "Excuse me; I have to use the restroom really quick."

While the ninja was relieving himself; Kaji and Asuka were approached be six armed men in non-standard urban combat uniforms. Their apparent leader said, "You two are coming with us. If you resist you'll regret it."

Ryoji was sweating bullets and he was about to try to negotiate when they men drew their handguns. "We're going _now_." said the man closest to them.

"Who do you people think you are?!" asked Asuka angrily. "Mister Kaji and I aren't going anywhere with you losers!"

The closest man stalked forward and growled, "You've quite a mouth little girl. I'll fix that for you."

The last thing the man expected was Asuka lashed out with a roundhouse kick to his family jewels that sent him crashing into the others. The still standing men opened fire and Kaji grabbed Asuka and ran….

….

While Kaji and Asuka were beating a hasty retreat; Naruto had finished his business and opened the door to the hall only to hear gunfire and yelling. He saw one of the armed men hand motion to the others and holler, "Get that interfering little whore and kill her if you have to! Then carry out our orders!" The he turned to a man laying in the floor holding his groin. "Get up and follow us a soon as you can!"

As the apparent leader of the armed men followed the others; the downed man got back up and cursed under his breath that he'd been taken down by a teenage girl. "Damn that little bitch. I'll make her pay for kicking me in the nuts." he growled. As he shook his head to get his bearings back the man suddenly found his mouth covered by an iron grip and a razor sharp kunai against his jugular.

Naruto whispered from behind the armed man, "You and I are going to have a little talk…."

….

Ten minutes later the man was dead and Naruto concealed his kunai once again. The ninja was quickly going over what he'd learned in his head. '_The six infiltrators are Seele Agents with the orders to capture Kaji Ryoji to find out where the **item** is that Kaji acquired for NERV Director Ikari Gendo. In their attempts to capture Kaji they stumbled upon the Second Child and she escaped with Ryoji after a short tussle. Numb nuts back there suffered her wrath and fell behind as a result. I should be able to track them all from here_.' The blonde sniffed the air and thought, '_I can easily track my cousin from his cologne. If those five clods get in my way I'll eliminate them_.'

….

In the meantime Asuka and Kaji were playing cat and mouse with their pursuers but were eventually boxed in near the EVA cages. Kaji noted that there was a noticeable _absence_ of security personnel wherever he went and put the puzzle pieces together quickly. '_These bastards are after me; not Asuka. Worse still, NERV Security is staying out of it. They must be Seele Agents or the like. **This is bad**. I have to get Asuka to safety and lead them off_.'

….

**EVA Cage #01**

Kaji led Asuka down into the ground floor of the massive cage that EVA Unit 02 was standing in and whispered, "Stay behind me Asuka. These men are professional killers. I know you are amazing in combat but they **_will_** kill you if they spot you. I want you to go up and hide in the Evangelion's entry plug and lie low. There's no safer place." He motioned to a lift. "You'll have to take it up Asuka. Go!"

Asuka teared up and held on to the Special Inspector in a death grip. "No Mister Kaji! If I'm going to die then I want to be with you!"

The NERV Special Inspector wanted to face palm. '_Oh my god! Of all the times for her to fall into teenage girl mode!_' He whispered, "Asuka! You are too valuable to die like this. As your superior officer I am ordering you to take the lift and-" There was a loud bang and the main lights in the EVA cage went out leaving an eerie twilight from the various computers and emergency lights that came on.

'_Shit!_' thought Kaji as he grabbed Asuka's wrist and led her back behind the titanic right foot of Evangelion 02. Seeing no other way out he mentally growled, _'I'll have to make a stand here!_' The NERV Special Inspector popped out from behind the EVA's foot and fired two rounds off. The Seele Agents quickly dodged and returned fire before cautiously advancing towards Kaji's position. It wasn't long before the situation developed into a standoff. One of the Seele Agents crept around behind the EVA's foot where Kaji and Asuka were hiding but Ryoji anticipated the move and shot him dead before the man could do them any harm. Unfortunately the distraction was enough to allow the other Seele Agents to charge around from the front and pin both The Special Inspector and the pilot in their laser sights….

"Drop the gun Inspector Kaji or the pilot dies!" said the leader of the Seele Agents.

Kaji set his pistol down on the floor and said, "Leave the girl out of it. I'll cooperate…."

….Then Naruto appeared in a body-flicker from nowhere in front of the four remaining Seele Agents and drew his kunai knife. The ninja started streaming wind chakra along the kunai and a katana-like blade of wind formed that glowed menacingly in the darkness. He was blocking the men's way to the other two and smiled showing his elongated canines. "You gentleman have no idea what a mistake you've made. You've assaulted my friends and for that transgression _the sentence is **death**_." The sudden killing intent in the EVA cage was stifling and you could hear a pin drop….

Asuka was shocked at the blonde's actions. It was as if an aura was glowing around the ninja and she thought, '_What is this power?!_'

'_Good gods! He's throwing off so much killing intent that those men are frozen in place_.' thought Kaji. '…._He's definitely **their** son_.'

That was when the blonde blurred into action and bullets started flying everywhere as the Seele Agents desperately tried to shoot the fast moving ninja.

Kaji grabbed his pistol from the ground and pushed Asuka back out of the way of the line of gunfire. He had his pistol at ready and heard the men yelling and then going silent in rapid succession. One Agent yelled, "_Look ou-_" only to be cut down before he could finish his sentence. The next one died with a guttural sound and then Asuka heard the sound of running which was followed by the noise of a body hitting the floor.

….Over with Naruto he was standing over the three men he'd just effortlessly eliminated. The blonde was eerily free of bloodstains and lashed out with a wind blade faster than the eye could follow which took the leader's gun arm off.

"M-m-mercy!" cried the one armed man in terror. The leader fell to his knees. He was holding onto the bleeding stump where his right arm once was. "I have no weapons left! Please have mercy!"

Naruto's glowing blue eyes looked like the fires of hell to the Seele Agent. The ninja leveled his wind blade and said in a whisper; "Mercy…? I'm fresh out of that." The blonde appeared behind the man and stopped streaming wind along his kunai before sheathing it….then the Agent's head rolled cleanly off his shoulders. He died too quickly to even scream….

Then there was silence….

"_Mein gott_…." whispered Asuka at the sudden quiet. "_What is going on over there…?_"

Kaji felt the killing intent cease and relaxed a bit. "Naruto got them all Asuka. We're safe now."

They both saw Naruto's mop of blonde hair emerge from behind Unit 02's massive foot. The ninja sheathed his kunai and slowly walked back to where the two were. He said, "The problem has been dealt with. I'd imagine that the power will be back on shortly. We might as well sit down and relax." He looked at Kaji and said, "We'll be talking later. You shouldn't have endangered Soryu-san like that Kaji."

Kaji nodded and said, "Thanks Naruto; I owe you big time."

The redhead was still on a bit of an adrenaline high and was trying to calm herself down. "You….you saved my life Naruto…." Then she blinked and asked in a confused tone, "What did you mean that Mister Kaji endangered me? He was trying to protect me."

Ryoji patted the Second Child's shoulder and said, "Asuka; those men were after **_me_**, not you. That why I was trying to get you to a safe place to hide. They wouldn't have followed you."

"But why would they be after you Mister Kaji?" asked the young woman in a puzzled tone.

The NERV Inspector smiled and said, "I'm sure they had their reasons…." Then the power came back on and he said, "Ah, it seems we have lights again."

Several NERV Security Guards came rushing in and the Officer in charge said, "Nobody move!"

Kaji raised his hands in surrender and said, "I'm NERV Special Inspector Kaji Ryoji. You gentleman have impeccable timing."

Both Asuka and Naruto also raised their hands like Kaji did. The blue eyed blonde asked, "Do you guys always wait for the fight to be over before you conveniently arrive on the scene?"

The Officer in charge looked totally incensed and was about to lay into Naruto for his disrespect when another guard saw the bloodbath that the ninja left behind. "_JESUS CHRIST!_" he shrieked. "_T-this guy's head is **cut off**! What the hell happened here?_"

….

Soon the two pilots and the Special Inspector were being questioned about the incident. The NERV special agents doing the questioning were less than thrilled about things. They asked Naruto, "What kind of training do you have?"

"I learned a few moves from a hermit I met years ago. End of story." answered the blonde.

"And this odd knife?" questioned the NERV agent as he held up Naruto's kunai. "What exactly is it?"

"It's called a kunai knife." explained Naruto. "They aren't that uncommon in Japan."

"Why were you carrying a knife to begin with?" asked a different agent.

Naruto shrugged. "Regulations state pilots can carry a sidearm or weapon of their choice for self defense. I chose a kunai knife."

The questioning seemed to go on for hours but the ninja really didn't reveal anything concrete. In the end; the NERV agents were just baffled at Naruto's actions. Finally they released Naruto and returned his kunai knife to him. The NERV Agents concluded two things: Naruto was an expert assassin and they really couldn't touch the blonde at all…..He hadn't broken any rules and was an EVA pilot. All he'd done was protect NERV personnel. The investigation was closed with a big question mark as far as the NERV agents were concerned….

….

**Seele's Meeting Place**

The numbered black obelisks representing Seele's members were in their usual circle and they were discussing the Seventh Child. The Number 1 obelisk (Keel Lorenz)*② opened the meeting by saying; "Adam will soon be in Ikari Gendo's hands. Kaji Ryoji will deliver it to him soon whether we planned it this way or not."

"What of our efforts to punish Special Inspector Kaji for stealing Adam?" asked number 3.

Number 12 said, "Our intentions to place the Special Inspector in his proper place were foiled solely by the Seventh Child. We know nothing about Pilot Uzumaki Naruto other than he is supposedly Special Inspector Kaji's cousin. His point of origin is a mystery."

The Number 6 obelisk stated, "The sole weapon used by the Seventh Child was a kunai knife. The origins of this type of concealed weapon and his obvious combat potential would indicate that Uzumaki is an incredibly skilled assassin that fits the description of a ninja."

"The ninja are shrouded in mystery and even Seele cannot prove whether they exist or not." replied Number 5. "NERV's records indicate that the Seventh Child was chosen by the Seele Committee and they had no choice but to accept him as a result."

Number 3 interjected, "The information that NERV has recorded must be disinformation planted by Ikari Gendo. He wants to throw us off the trail. The _only_ child we have is the Fifth and Ikari does not know of this."

The 4th Obelisk commented, "This brings the origins of the Sixth Child Haruno Sakura into question as well."

"Back to the topic at hand; what about the theft of Adam on Inspector Kaji's part?" asked Number 11. "We lost a six man special ops team with no results."

Number 1 replied, "Regardless of the loss of our six man team; Special Inspector Kaji got the message. He knows we are watching him _and_ that we know that he has Adam. Adam falling into Ikari Gendo's hands is according to the scenario. There is no need to pursue that any further. As for the Seventh Child….We will observe him. Someone with those kinds of skills could be _very_ useful to us…."

….

**NERV Germany, Naruto's quarters**

That night Naruto sent out coded after action reports to both Sakura and the Hokage about Seele's attempt to capture Kaji. Then he heard a knock on the door. The blonde sealed up everything in a scroll before going to the door where he found Asuka waiting patiently. The redhead looked a little nervous when Naruto opened the door. The ninja said, "Good evening Soryu-san. I wasn't expecting company."

Asuka replied, "Please just call me Asuka, Naruto. Do you have a little time to talk?"

The blonde stepped back and motioned Asuka in. "Please come in."

The redhead entered before taking an offered chair and some bottled water. The normally fearless girl said in a worried voice, "I never thanked you properly for saving my life Uzumaki Naruto. I….I will always be grateful that you rescued me." She stood up and bowed. "_Domo arigato gozaimasu_."

The ninja nodded and said, "It is alright Asuka-san. Please sit back down. Once we are in combat with the Angels I'm sure you'll return the favor."

Asuka smiled softly and said, "I hope so. I was so shocked at the….um; mess that you made in the EVA bay earlier today that I was speechless. I'd like to be friends if you want to."

"I'd like that Asuka-san. I hope we become good friends." said Naruto. "Maybe you can teach me some things about piloting."

The redhead's fearless demeanor returned and she declared proudly, "Sure I can! I'm the best pilot there is!"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Then I'll look forward to you teaching me."

Asuka nodded but then her grin faded and she asked, "Do you know why those men were after Mister Kaji? I'm afraid for him and he won't tell me anything…."

The blonde scratched his chin for a moment and replied, "I honestly don't know exactly why they were after him. The one I interrogated told me they were out to capture my cousin. Kaji may not know either. He's in a dangerous line of work you know." Then Naruto smiled just like Kaji and added, "Then again, Ryoji may not be telling us to keep us safe."

'_He really does look just like Mister Kaji when he smiles_.' thought the redhead. "Did Kaji tell you anything at all Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not a thing. I didn't ask and he didn't volunteer any information. If Kaji thought a pilot needed to know he would have told us already. I think it's probably all classified above our level."

Asuka leaned back a bit in thought and nodded. "That makes sense. It's not like Mister Kaji would keep secrets from us if we needed to know."

The ninja smiled again and thought, '_You have **no** idea how many secrets he has Asuka-san_.' Then he said, "I'm sure Ryoji is just acting in our best interests."

The beautiful redheaded girl nodded and then grinned. "I guess you are right." She laughed. "I'm still _really curious_ though."

"….And curiosity killed the cat." replied the blonde. "Once the Angels are all history we can ask him about it."

"Good idea!" exclaimed Asuka. "Once we get into the fray the Angels won't stand a chance!" Her blue eyes lit up a bit and she asked, "So what is Tokyo-3 like? I've seen pictures of the Geofront but I've never actually been there."

The blonde was glad for the change of subject. "I honestly haven't lived there very long myself. I can tell you it dwarfs NERV Germany though. You have to see it to believe it."

_….The two teens talked well into the nighttime_….

….

POSTSCRIPT:

Question for my readers: Many years ago I saw mention of an Evangelion comedy fanfiction that featured a "Council of Rei's." I wanted to use a similar concept but I want to give credit where it's due. Does anyone remember the name of the fic? I'd like to find it and read it if possible.

*①: Nope, I don't own _Foghat_ either….

*②: Keel Lorenz is the only member of Seele that has been identified by name in the series. The rest of the members appear as nameless men or obelisks with numbers. They are not to be confused with the _Kids Next Door_.

Well, that is a good stopping point. This chapter is kind of standalone but a lot of things in it will come into play later on. My original plan was to focus mainly on the pilots but given the plot of Evangelion subterfuge is unavoidable. The idea that Adam was procured by Kaji without permission is my own but the whole NERV/Seele allied yet antagonistic relationship follows the original themes. Asuka is based a bit more on the manga version of the character in the fact the she switches from nice to mean depending on who she's around. Her background is a little more defined in the manga too so I'll be going more in that direction. See you next time. Blue out. 8/17/19


	4. Chapter 4

_**Naruto: Aftershock **_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Neon Genesis Evangelion

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

By popular demand; Angels, Angels everywhere! Here is chapter 4 of **Naruto: Aftershock**. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language

[ ] Signifies hand signals/coded messages

Last Time:

_Asuka nodded but then her grin faded and she asked, "Do you know why those men were after Mister Kaji? I'm afraid for him and he won't tell me anything…."_

_The blonde scratched his chin for a moment and replied, "I honestly don't know exactly why they were after him. The one I interrogated told me they were out to capture my cousin. Kaji may not know either. He's in a dangerous line of work you know." Then Naruto smiled just like Kaji and added, "Then again, Ryoji may not be telling us to keep us safe."_

_'He really does look just like Mister Kaji when he smiles.' thought the redhead. "Did Kaji tell you anything at all Naruto?"_

_Naruto shook his head. "Not a thing. I didn't ask and he didn't volunteer any information. If Kaji thought a pilot needed to know he would have told us already. I think it's probably all classified above our level." _

_Asuka leaned back a bit in thought and nodded. "That makes sense. It's not like Mister Kaji would keep secrets from us if we needed to know."_

_The ninja smiled again and thought, 'You have **no** idea how many secrets he has Asuka-san.' Then he said, "I'm sure Ryoji is just acting in our best interests."_

_The beautiful redheaded girl nodded and then grinned. "I guess you are right." She laughed. "I'm still really curious though." _

_"….And curiosity killed the cat." replied the blonde. "Once the Angels are all history we can ask him about it."_

_"Good idea!" exclaimed Asuka. "Once we get into the fray the Angels won't stand a chance!" Her blue eyes lit up a bit and she asked, "So what is Tokyo-3 like? I've seen pictures of the Geofront but I've never actually been there."_

_The blonde was glad for the change of subject. "I honestly haven't lived there very long myself. I can tell you it dwarfs NERV Germany though. You have to see it to believe it."_

_….The two teens talked well into the nighttime…._

_…._

**Chapter 4**

**Haruno Sakura's apartment, Tokyo-3, Japan**

Seele's direct actions against Kaji were a real shock to Naruto and by extension Sakura. She read Naruto's report on the situation in Germany and discovered that the blonde ninja had come to the conclusion that Kaji needed their support given he was originally from Konoha. The kunoichi had mixed feelings at first but ultimately decided to support the blonde's decision since Kaji was technically the only close living relative Naruto had left….

Two weeks later; the pink haired kunoichi was going over the data she had compiled regarding the Evangelions. She and her partner Naruto had worked both together and separately to hack systems, steal data and collect information first hand on the EVA's. "What a mess." Sakura muttered as she went over her report. "It's a shame my friend Yamanaka Ino isn't on this mission. The fact that the EVA Units have souls of their own throws everything into chaos."

….

**_List of known Evangelion Units/Notes:_**

**_Unit 00_**_ \- (Prototype) Constructed in NERV Headquarters, Tokyo-3, Japan. Status: **100% Complete**. Recently completed testing and is cleared for combat use. Primary pilot: **Ayanami Rei**. Current location: **Tokyo-3**_

_-Notes: The soul of EVA Unit 00 is temperamental and will not synch with pilot Ikari Shinji. Pilots Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto can synch with it as backup pilots with lower synchronization levels. _

**_Unit 01_**_ \- (Test Type) Constructed in NERV Headquarters, Tokyo-3, Japan. Status: **100% Complete**. Has seen combat and has destroyed two Angels. Primary pilot: **Ikari Shinji**. Current location: **Tokyo-3**_

_-Notes: The soul of EVA Unit 01 is cooperative and will synch with pilot Ikari. Pilots Rei Ayanami, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto can synch with it as backup pilots. Has a large preference for pilot Ikari. _

**_Unit 02_**_ \- (Production Type) Constructed in NERV Germany. Status: **100% Complete**. Has been cleared for combat use. Primary pilot: **Soryu Asuka Langley**. Current location: **En route to Tokyo-3 by sea**_

_-Notes: The soul of EVA Unit 02 is cooperative and will synch with Pilot Soryu. Pilot Uzumaki Naruto can synch with it as a backup pilot but synchronization rate is low. Other Pilots unknown. Very protective of pilot Soryu. _

**_Unit 03_**_ \- (Production Type) Constructed in NERV Branch Massachusetts, United States. Status: **100% Complete**. Currently undergoing testing. Primary pilot: **None assigned**. Current location: **United States**_

_-Notes: Unit has never been activated. Scheduled to transfer to Toktyo-3 soon. Exact date of transfer unknown. _

**_Unit 04_**_ \- (Production Type) Constructed in NERV Branch Nevada, United States. Status: **78% Complete**. Currently under construction. Primary pilot: **None assigned**. Current location: **United States**_

_-Notes: None at this point. _

**_Unit 05_**_ \- (Production Type) Constructed in NERV Germany. Status: **53% Complete**. Currently under construction. Primary pilot: **None assigned**. Current location: **Germany**_

_-Notes: None at this point. _

**_Unit 06_**_ \- (Production Type) Constructed in NERV Germany. Status: **28% Complete**. Currently under construction. Primary pilot: **None assigned**. Current location: **Germany**_

_-Notes: None at this point. _

_…._

Sakura nodded at the short but concise list. Then she rolled her eyes. '_According to Naruto Unit 02 doesn't like him because he's a boy and it thinks he's a pervert. It wants to protect pilot Soryu from him. What is it; Asuka's mother? I think Naruto got hit on the head too hard again_….'

While the pink haired kunoichi was pondering the mysteries of the universe (like why Naruto couldn't stay out of trouble); the UN Pacific Fleet was carrying a precious cargo to new Yokosuka, Japan….

….

**Pacific Ocean, UN aircraft carrier _Over the Rainbow_**

Asuka Langley Soryu was looking out from the aircraft carrier's bridge at the large cargo ship carrying her precious EVA Unit 02. She was talking to Kaji….Or rather, _complaining_ to the NERV Special Inspector. "I just don't get it Mister Kaji." said the beautiful redhead. "Naruto-kun is my backup and they sent him to the United States! What gives? We sail halfway around the world and then they come and snatch Naruto-kun from the carrier. What if we _need_ him?"

Kaji smiled weakly as the teenage girl ranted and raved about the injustice of it all. '_At first she couldn't stand him and now it's Naruto-kun this and Naruto-kun that. A woman's heart is a complex thing_.' "I'm sure that the high Command needed him for Unit 03's tests. Besides, the odds of us being attacked here are pretty slim. What could happen in the middle of the ocean after all?"

_….He shouldn't have asked…._

As if on cue; a nearby destroyer exploded after it was stuck by something _massive_. The entire Pacific Fleet unleashed hell upon the fast moving target to no effect. "We hit it dead on with four torpedoes and it just shrugged them off! What the hell is it?!" asked the Admiral in shock.

Kaji didn't really have to look as another ship was destroyed. He said to Asuka under his breath, "Get to your EVA." She nodded with fire in her eyes. Then Ryoji turned to the Admiral and said, "That is what we call an Angel, Admiral. I'm afraid that conventional firepower won't touch it."

Twenty minutes later three more ships were sunk and the Angel was completely unharmed. "Target is approaching the rear transport ship!" yelled a watchman.

Ryoji held his breath as the ship carrying the EVA exploded into flames. The Special Inspector was filled with dread until Unit 02 leapt out of the explosion and hop scotched from ship to ship until it landed on the _Over the Rainbow_.

"My flight deck!" screeched the Admiral as Asuka drew her progressive knife. The Angel quickly zeroed in on Unit 02 and Asuka countered by slicing the sea monster's belly open which exposed its core. Then two of the Pacific Fleet battleships fired point blank into the Angel and destroyed it.

Kaji looked at his stopwatch and clicked it. The battle between the EVA and the Angel lasted thirty six seconds and Unit 02 still had power in its internal batteries. "Perfect!" he whispered. "Well done Asuka." As the pandemonium settled down in the Pacific Fleet, Ryoji thought to himself, '_It's a shame you missed out on all the fun Naruto_….'

….

**NERV Branch Massachusetts, United States**

The whisker faced ninja reported in to NERV's Branch Massachusetts in the United States in the meantime. He'd been halfway home to Japan with Asuka and Kaji when orders from the Seele Committee sent him to America to help out with EVA Unit 03. '_How did I get so lucky…?_' he wondered. '_I'm supposed to be sneaking around in Japan; not out trotting the globe. Oh well_….' Naruto understood English quite well but wasn't a fluent speaker. He could communicate but he had an accent. When the blonde reported in to NERV Germany he'd been able to blend in seamlessly but in the Massachusetts Branch the ninja stuck out like a sore thumb. '_I guess I'd better behave myself…._' he contemplated glumly. _'….At least until I'm fluent in English_….' the blonde thought with a mental smirk.

The ninja was quickly shown into the Massachusetts Branch Commander's office and was greeted by Commander Murray who was a huge bear of a man of African American descent. Murray belied his appearance with a friendly attitude however. "Welcome to NERV's Massachusetts Branch Pilot Uzumaki. Also; congratulations on becoming a full Lieutenant." Then the Commander chuckled at Naruto's dumbfounded look. "I just got the orders this morning." said Murray. "Since you pilots are putting your asses on the line for the sake of humanity; the least they could do is give you a rank appropriate for a pilot and pay you for it." The big man handed Naruto his rank pins and a dark green NERV pilot jacket. "That's an official U.S. jacket. You can wear that proudly since you were promoted here."

Naruto smiled and said, "Thank you very much sir. I will wear it with honor." '_This guy is nothing like Commander Ikari_….'

….

It wasn't long before _Lieutenant_ Uzumaki was having lunch with the technical staff that was filling him in on the situation with Unit 03. The U.S. research scientist was a brunette woman named Marla Collette who was an M.I.T. graduate. '_She's rather cute_.' thought Naruto as he admired her curves. Then he said in his accented English, "So in short; none of your people have been able to synchronize with Unit 03 enough to start it up for testing? That strikes me as a bit strange. Doesn't the U.S. have its own qualified pilots?"

Doctor Collette nodded and replied, "We do have our own pilot program but for some reason EVA 03 won't synch with any of the pilots. It's rather embarrassing to say the least. Since you have proven compatible with Units 00, 01 and 02 we feel there's a very good chance of you synchronizing with Unit 03. Even if the synch rate is low you should be able to activate the unit. Perhaps then we can see what is going on. My colleague Doctor Akagi Ritsuko recommended we test Unit 03 with you before we start tearing the unit down to look for technical issues that could delay it for months."

'_So I have Ritsuko to blame for this little vacation_.' thought Naruto dourly. He plastered on a fake smile and said, "I'll help any way that I can."

Marla smiled gratefully. "That's all we can ask Lieutenant Uzumaki."

….

The next morning Naruto was in his red and blue plugsuit looking at the charcoal gray behemoth that was Unit 03. It was outdoors for testing rather than in a cage that they normally used in Japan. Putting his hand on the near black armor; the ninja reached out with his sensory ninjutsu and found that the unit had an inactive chakra system. He raised an eyebrow in question and thought, '_Why would this EVA be suppressing its chakra flow? This is very strange. Maybe I'll get a better feel for it once I'm in the entry plug_.'

A half an hour later Naruto was in the plug of Unit 03 and was tuning out the background noise as all of the technicians chattered the various initialization codes and confirmations in English. The plug was filled with LCL and Naruto focused on the being called EVA 03. '_Why won't you wake up?_' he wondered. Then his eyes widened in shock. '_This unit has no soul! There is nothing here but a physical shell. No one could synchronize with this_!' He was about to say something to Doctor Collette when he saw the entire bridge test crew looking at their screens in horror.

"EJECT THE PLUG!" commanded Doctor Collette. "_Unit 03 is reading Pattern Orange! **Unit 03 is an Angel!**_"

"There is no response! The plug is not ejecting!" exclaimed a technician.

A blonde technician looked on in terror. "Contamination of Unit 03 at 27%! Unit 03 is activating!"

"Abort!" yelled Marla. "Cut all external power now! If it gets loose…."

A green, fungus like substance started oozing from the EVA and infecting the platform around it. "_Good god_…." whispered one of the techs. "_The pilot_…."

Inside the plug Naruto felt the infection spreading rapidly into his body. He heard Doctor Collette and the bridge team outside as they tried to desperately counter the Angel's intrusion and get him out. Naruto made out the garbled words, "_Contamination at 61%!_" and let out an inhuman scream as he saw the fungus seep from his own pores. The blonde knew it would be over in minutes and cried out in an ancient tongue passed down through the Uzumaki clan. The words were so old that no one in Konoha knew their meaning anymore….But they were so powerful that meaning was not needed….

{"**_Inari hear my prayer; your humble servant begs a boon of you. Grant me the power to cleanse the world of this demon! By the command of all that is holy; evil spirit be gone! In the name of Kurama!_**"}

Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up with the power of the fox spirit that protected his clan for time immemorial. His chakra exploded from blue to red and nine ethereal tails of power shimmered into existence. Naruto said in a darkened voice {"**_Child of Adam; you will not violate this Lilim any longer! Assume your true form and face the power of the Kyubi!_**_"_} The whole base felt a shockwave as the fungus like Angel recoiled and shrunk back instinctively as the Nine tailed Fox's chakra purged the infection and burned the fungus in and around Unit 03 to a crisp and vaporized it. Unit 03's red fox shaped chakra shell blazed and its voice said {"**_I will entrust this power to you Uzumaki Naruto. Rid this world of evil! Show me the meaning of your Will of Fire!_**"}

Doctor Collette and the others were shocked speechless until one of them looked away from the nine tailed Unit 03 and said, "Contamination is zero! The Angel has separated from the EVA! Unit 03 is active! _Pilot synchronization rate at 100%"_

Another tech stared as a red, spherical core coalesced nearby and the Angel's body started to form around it. "_Pattern Blue! It's the Angel! It's still alive!_"

Marla said into the com link, "Can you hear me Naruto?! You must destroy the core! You're the only one that can stop that Angel from killing us all!"

There were several tense moments of silence as Unit 03 stood still seemingly staring at the form of the still forming Angel. Unlike previous Angels; this one took on a humanoid like form of pure light and sprouted six wings. If it was not planning to destroy them; the NERV personnel would have described it as beautiful. It hovered there in majestic silence and started towards the blazing form of Unit 03. Suddenly the near black EVA drew its progressive knife and started streaming wind chakra along it forming a colossal wind katana. The silence was broken when Naruto's voice boomed over the EVA's speaker, "**_I'm going to KILL that son-of-a-bitch!_**"

Marla Collette exclaimed, "_He's alive!_" and her crew cheered. Just then Unit 03 exploded into action and met the Angel head on….

Unit 03 punched the Angel in the face hard enough to stagger it and then followed up with its wind katana in an attempt to destroy the core. The Angel reacted by protecting its core with a wing which was cut off in an instant. Latching on to one of the remaining five wings with his free hand; Naruto brutally impaled the Angel through the shoulder and tore the wing off using the sword as leverage. Though the white being had no apparent face it was obvious that it was in great pain from the EVA's relentless onslaught. The Angel struggled but found it was still pinned with the sword stabbed through it.

The Angel lost another wing before it was able to throw Naruto off of it. With the sword no longer holding it up the white being fell to the earth given it only had three wings left to support it. As the Angel attempted to struggle up from its position on the ground; the dark gray EVA kneed the creature in the face causing it to tumbled end over end. The Angel was laying flat on its back when it tried to ward off the towering Unit 03 with its uninjured arm. The arm was cut off in an instant and a second later Naruto delivered the coup de grace by driving the katana through the Angel's core which caused it to stop moving forever….

…._The Angel was dead_….

Wild cheers broke out in the NERV Massachusetts branch. They were elated in spite of the massive damage done to the countryside. Doctor Collette was relieved beyond words and Commander Murray was thrilled to report that EVA Unit 03's maiden sortie was an outstanding success….

….

**_Naruto's Mindscape….._**

Inside the plug Naruto was a bit shocked to find the Nine Tails Fox spirit was within the EVA and within himself. The blonde found himself in his mindscape face to face with the massive being known as Kurama. "**It has been a long time since a Lilim called my name Uzumaki Naruto. I am Kurama no Kyubi; servant of Inari and protector of the Uzumaki Clan**."

Naruto bowed. "I am honored to be in your presence Kurama-sama. I….I did not know what that ancient prayer even meant."

"**Nor were you meant to Lilim**." replied the ancient fox. "**Only a select few are blessed by Inari to know the olden words. Even fewer have the wisdom of when to use them**."

Naruto and Kurama spoke for some time about the state of the world since the Second Impact. "It seems that Seele want to do something more than just defeat the Angels Kurama-sama." explained Naruto. "The problem is we have yet to grasp what that something is."

Kurama gave a vulpine smile. "**This situation is most interesting indeed. I believe I'll stick around and see how this pans out. I will act as the 'soul' of Unit 03 to help you out Naruto. For the time being you alone will be its pilot. I will judge if others are worthy of piloting it as well**."

"Thank you Kurama-sama." said the blonde ninja. "I will do my best to unravel this mystery behind Seele as well as the Second Impact."

….

**NERV Massachusetts, Infirmary**

Naruto woke up and found himself in a hospital bed. A nurse was checking his vitals and she smiled at him. She asked, "How are you feeling Lieutenant Uzumaki? You saved us all. As far as NERV Massachusetts is concerned; you are a hero. I'll tell the Doctor you've awakened. There is a lot to talk about."

Soon the blonde was checked over and found to be in perfect physical health. Doctor Collette came in to see him shortly thereafter. "It was really terrifying to watch the monitors Naruto." said Marla. "The internal cameras in the plug cut out just after the contamination was detected. Can you tell me what exactly happened? We lost contact with you until you were synchronized at 100% and yelling about _killing the S.O.B_." She laughed. "….Not that I blame you. By the time the cameras were back online the battle was over and the Angel was dead. We've spent the last twenty four hours making sure you weren't contaminated in any way. As far as we can tell there are no problems and you simply passed out from exhaustion."

The blonde pondered for a moment and said, "I was in agony from the contamination and I _prayed_. I don't really remember what I prayed for but the next thing I knew it was the Angel was no longer in me or the EVA. It was in front of me and destroying it was really all that was on my mind."

"Can you tell me what you remember of the battle?" asked Marla.

The ninja described the battle very concisely before he described the aftermath. "After I was positive the Angel was dead and had zero energy readings I guess I passed out. The adrenaline rush was over and I was exhausted."

Doctor Collette nodded in approval. "It seems your memory of the battle is just about perfect. I'm glad. We're going to run some psyche tests on you before releasing you but they are just routine. I believe once you are out of the infirmary more than one person will want to buy you a beer _hero_."

….

**NERV Headquarters, Tokyo-3, Japan**

Captain Katsuragi Misato was looking over the battle reports and film of Unit 02's battle against the Angel they codenamed Gaghiel. With her were Doctor Akagi, Shinji, Rei and Sakura. As they watched the film Ritsuko said, "It's true Asuka had help from the UN Pacific Fleet but she defeated the Angel in _thirty six seconds_ before the internal batteries ran out."

Misato said, "Hmmm….evasive maneuvers, decision making, piloting skills….whatever you look at she's perfect."

"It's hard to believe." replied Doctor Akagi. "The Second Child's abilities surpass even the rumors."

"But why was the Angel there to begin with?" asked Captain Katsuragi.

Ritsuko sipped her coffee and answered, "It could have been after Unit 02 since it was being transported."

"Where is Unit 02 now?" asked Misato.

"It's in EVA Cage number 5 -cold storage." answered the bleach blonde scientist. "….and Asuka's checked into a hotel."

The overhead speaker came on and Ibuki Maya said, "We finally received the footage from NERV Massachusetts Branch. Shall I send it down?"

Doctor Akagi asked, "Did you watch it Maya?"

"Negative." replied Ritsuko's protégé. "I don't have the clearance for it."

Misato raised an eyebrow and said, "Pipe it through Lieutenant Ibuki." '_Why wouldn't she have the clearance?_' wondered the purple haired woman.

The question was quickly answered as the footage of Unit 03 battled the Angel they codenamed Bardiel played. "Nine….wings? Tails? What the hell?" said Captain Katsuragi. "What _is_ Unit 03?"

Sakura watched with wide eyes and thought, '_The nine tailed fox spirit….Naruto is responsible for this, not Unit 03_.'

"I can't wait to see the data printouts on this battle." said Ritsuko. '_This could be a real game changer_. _No doubt Commander Ikari will be interested as well_.' "I wonder what Naruto's synch rates were at the time."

….

**Commander Ikari Gendo's Office**

Kaji Ryoji report in to see Command Ikari as well as Fuyutsuki. Ryoji explained as he laid a sealed case on Ikari's desk, "It was quite an _eventfu_l voyage. I never thought we'd run into an Angel on the way here. So was it because of this….?" He opened the case revealing something that looked like a human embryo and smiled. "It's quite an _amazing_ little cargo. It's in suspended animation for now but it's definitely _alive_." Then Kaji's eyes narrowed. "This is it; isn't it? The key to the _Instrumentality Project_…?"

"That's right." answered Gendo with a smirk. "You're holding the first human….**_Adam_**."

Fuyutsuki said, "The Committee is less than thrilled with the way you procured it Special Inspector Kaji. We were expecting to receive it but….Suffice it to say the old men aren't happy about it."

The Special Inspector chuckled. "Yes, they voiced their _displeasure_ to me back in Germany. If they planned to kill me they would have by now. Regardless I believe I'll be staying here in Tokyo-3 for a while."

"I suppose it would be best to keep you here for the time being…." stated Gendo.

….

**Asuka's hotel room**

Asuka was a bit bored. After all of the excitement of battling an Angel; Tokyo-3 seemed rather sedate. '_I sure wish Naruto-kun or Mister Kaji were here_.' She thought back to Naruto telling her about the other pilots back in Germany….

_Flashback…._

_"So what are the other pilots like Naruto-kun?" asked the beautiful redhead. She'd gotten closer to Naruto in the last week and considered him a friend now._

_The blonde pondered for a moment and replied; "I guess I should start with the First Child Ayanami Rei-san. She comes across as really aloof but the truth is she just has a hard time expressing herself. I think she was raised to be an EVA pilot and doesn't seem to have any friends outside of her fellow pilots. It takes some time but Ayanami-san will grow on you." he said with a smile._

_"And the Third Child?" asked Asuka._

_"The Third Child is an old friend of mine from school. His name is Ikari Shinji." continued the ninja. "He's a nice guy but he's an introvert and people pick on him. Ikari is the Commander's son but they don't get along. I don't know what the story is there. He's a good pilot but doesn't enjoy it too much. If you give him a chance I think you'll like him."_

_The Second Child said, "Sounds like an odd crew. What about the Sixth Child?"_

_Naruto chuckled and described Sakura. "Haruno Sakura is the Sixth Child. She's Shinji's girlfriend and is really smart. I guess she's the most normal of the bunch. I got to know her a bit because she came in when I did so we trained together. Sakura-san is a backup pilot like I am. I think you will get along with her pretty well…."_

_Flashback end…._

The redhead pondered to herself, '_I guess I'll meet them all tomorrow when I report in for duty at NERV Headquarters to Captain Katsuragi. I wonder what Naruto-kun is up to in the United States_….'

….

**NERV Headquarters**

The alarm klaxons went off in the viewing room that jolted everyone out of their train of thought. "_Now_ what?" grumbled Ritsuko.

"An unidentified flying object has been spotted off the Kii Peninsula." reported Lieutenant Ibuki Maya. "Sending data now."

"An enemy attack?!" asked Misato.

"Pattern blue! It's an Angel!" said Lieutenant Hyuga Makoto over the intercom.

Captain Katsuragi rushed to the Command Center and announced, "Level One Battle Stations! All EVA Pilots; prepare to sortie!"

Rei, Shinji and Sakura were in the cafeteria and immediately responded. Asuka heard the call and headed towards NERV Headquarters….

"The target is now above Lake Ashino." reported Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba. As the Angel became visible, the command crew gasped as they saw the titanic form of a crystalline octahedron floating eerily across the city. "What is it?" he asked in shock.

Maya said, "EVA Unit 01 will be ready for takeoff in 30 seconds! Unit 00 is 360 seconds behind it. Pilot Haruno Sakura is on standby."

"Can we use Unit 02?" asked Misato.

Ritsuko replied, "If we can find Asuka we can have Unit 02 out of cold storage and ready in fifteen minutes. We haven't tested it with Sakura so that's a no go."

"Get EVA Unit 02 ready to sortie and find Asuka." ordered Captain Katsuragi.

"Unit 01 is ready for takeoff!" announced Lieutenant Ibuki.

Misato commanded, "EVA Unit 01 -_Launch!_"

As the purple Unit 01 rocketed to the surface; Lieutenant Aoba exclaimed; "I'm getting a high energy reading _within_ the target! The energy is accelerating on the target's periphery. It's starting to converge!"

**_"WHAT?!"_** asked Misato. "It can't be -_A particle beam?!"_

When EVA 01 reached the surface Katsuragi exclaimed, "No! Shinji, get out of the way!"

The particle beam fired and turned a building into molten slag before it plowed into Unit 01's chest plating. Shinji had no time to react and let out a horrific scream of agony that seemed to last eons to everyone in the Command Center.

Misato cried out, "_Shinji!_" before she ordered his recovery. "Get him back! _Hurry!_"

Shinji was still screaming when the Eva dropped back into the Earth and the beam finally ceased. The command crew stared in silence as the smoke and flames were displayed on the view screen. Shinji went silent as well.

"The target has gone inactive." reported Aoba.

"How is Shinji?!" asked Misato desperately .

Lieutenant Hyuga said, "His EEG is abnormal. Shinji's pulse is faint."

"Unit 01 is recovered in EVA Cage 7!" exclaimed Maya. "Unit 00 is ready for takeoff."

Captain Katsuragi ordered, "Abort the launch of Unit 00. Tell Rei to stand by. I'm going to Cage number 7." She turned to Doctor Akagi and said, "Ritsuko, get the medical team ready!" As Misato ran into the elevator she realized that Sakura was already there waiting for her. The purple haired woman looked into Sakura's tear filled eyes and simply nodded before the two of them took the elevator down to Cage number 7….Shinji was already on a stretcher being rushed to the Emergency Room when Sakura and Misato arrived….

While Shinji's life was on the line; the Angel silently lowered a massive drill into the ground. "What is the enemy doing?" asked Ritsuko in confusion.

Lieutenant Hyuga studied the monitor for a moment before he replied, "It's drilling into the Geofront towards NERV Headquarters….It's trying a direct attack against us…."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

Sorry folks! More or less an evil cliffhanger but there was no way to fit the second half of the battle with Operation Yashima into this chapter. I figure it will take up half the next chapter by itself. The first part of the battle was fairly close to the original but things will be a bit different than canon next chapter. I hope to have it out sometime next week as this weekend will be extremely busy. I hope everyone liked the inclusion of Kyubi in this chapter. I made him a little different from the original but I think the whole '_benevolent fox spirit_' image will work here. See you next time. Blue out. 8/21/19


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